The concept of lifelong learning has changed in recent years by several scholars such as Jacque Delors and international organizations such as the OECD, the World Bank and the European Commission. It is a concept that many countries try to import into their education policies to improve their economies. The purpose of this essay is to use the literature review to analyze the term 20th century lifelong learning which prefigures ideas in 21st century learning and the discourse on lifelong learning and the knowledge economy. The structure of this essay is to define lifelong learning, briefly describe its history, the perspective of international organizations on lifelong learning and briefly identify the characteristics of lifelong learning. Furthermore, this essay will analyze the concept of lifelong learning in the 20th and 21st centuries. There is no formal definition of the concept of lifelong learning. This is due to the fact that the concept is used by many other areas of education such as adult education, continuing education and any other term related to learning outside the formal education system, as stated by Aspin et al . 'particularly when a number of other apparently similar terms – continuing education, “higher education”, “continuing education”, and so on – were often used interchangeably with it and with each other (Aspin et al 2007, p.19) . Davis' general definition of lifelong learning is "a process of ongoing support that stimulates and empowers individuals to acquire all the knowledge, values, skills and understanding they will need throughout their lives and to apply them with confidence, creativity and fun in all roles, circumstances and environments." (Davies 1993, p.125).Rojvithee over...... middle of paper ......l Journal of Lifelong Education, Volume. 18, number 5, pp. 329-342Houghton et al, 2000, 013951 Learning and Change Reader, University of Technology Sydney, 2010.Kearns et al. 1999. 'VET in the learning age: The challenge of lifelong learning for all' National Center for Vocational Education Research, Canberra, Australia. Medel-Añonuevo et al 2001, Revisiting Lifelong Learning for the 21st Century, UNESCO, Paris France. Rojvithee A, 2005, Introduction Definition of Lifelong Learning, OECDRudd & Smith, 2007, 013951 Learning and Change Reader, University of Technology Sydney, 2010.Watson, L., 2003, Lifelong Learning in Australia, Canberra, Department of Education, Science and Training, University of Canberra. Linden et al 2003, Lifelong Learning in the Global Knowledge Economy: Challenges for Developing Countries, World Bank, Washington DC