Depression is projected to be the leading cause of disease burden in older populations by the year 2020. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence depression among a group of elders in Alexandria, Egypt and compare the characteristic of elders in 3 different settings. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out among 100 people aged 60+ years in a government elderly home, an internal medicine ward in Alexandria Main University Hospital and a slum area in AlexandriBased on the Geriatric Depression Scale (short form) the highest prevalence of scores that were suggestive or indicative of depression was among elders who were hospitalized (79.0%), had ophthalmic diseases (85.7%) or tumours (80.0%), had 2+ chronic morbidities (64.9%), were taking 4+ medications daily (83,3%), were more physically dependent and had 2+ hospital admissions in the last 3 years (90.9%). Modifiable factors that impact on depression need to be considered in developing interventions for improving mood states in the elderly.