Overview
ISO 25554:2024 - Ageing societies - Guidelines for promoting wellbeing in communities provides a practical framework to plan, implement, evaluate and continuously improve wellbeing initiatives at community and individual levels. The standard supports healthy ageing, aligns with the SDG principle “leave no one behind” and references WHO concepts of wellbeing without prescribing a single definition. It is applicable to any community (cities, municipalities, businesses, neighbourhoods, interest groups) regardless of size or type. Note: management of occupational safety and health and economic/financial aspects are outside its scope.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Wellbeing concept: Communities develop their own wellbeing concept consistent with mission, values, SDGs and WHO healthy ageing principles.
- Expected outcomes: Define short-, medium- and long-term outcomes for the community and individual members with specified review points.
- Evaluation scheme:
- Wellbeing performance index for individuals and for the community, built from measurable indicators.
- Indicators selection: identify objective/subjective indicators for members and aggregated indicators or statistics for communities.
- Design and delivery of wellbeing services: plan, provide and assess services (public or third‑party) for effectiveness and efficiency; enable voluntary uptake by individuals.
- Data collection and management: collect indicator data responsibly (reporting is voluntary), manage data for monitoring and continuous improvement.
- Review and adjustment cycle: regularly evaluate indices vs. expected outcomes and revise services and indices accordingly.
- Supporting elements: sustainable management, leadership and communication for wellbeing promotion; use of digital technologies for continuous improvement (see Annex D).
- Informative annexes: practical examples (Annex A), corporate wellbeing policy example (Annex B - Kenko‑keiei), elements related to wellbeing (Annex C), IT utilization (Annex D).
Practical applications and users
Who uses ISO 25554:2024:
- Municipal planners and local governments designing age-friendly policies and community services
- Employers and HR/leaders implementing community- or workplace-linked wellbeing programmes
- Public health practitioners and social service organizations focused on healthy ageing interventions
- Community groups, NGOs and service providers developing measurable wellbeing services
- IT and data teams building indicator dashboards or digital platforms to monitor wellbeing performance
Practical uses:
- Create a community wellbeing strategy and measurable performance indices
- Select indicators and design data collection and reporting workflows
- Benchmark and continuously improve service portfolios that promote physical, mental and social wellbeing
- Facilitate cross-community sharing of methodologies and good practices
Related standards and references
- Prepared by ISO/TC 314 (Ageing societies)
- Cross-references: ISO 25550:2022 (wellbeing terminology) and ISO/TS 37151:2015 (community definitions)
- Aligns conceptually with WHO guidance on healthy ageing and UN SDGs for inclusive development
Keywords: ISO 25554:2024, ageing societies, community wellbeing, healthy ageing, wellbeing performance index, wellbeing services, indicators, continuous improvement, SDGs, WHO.
