Healthy Longevity

The global population is aging faster than ever before. By 2040, more than 14.5 percent of the global population will be age 65 or older. Many countries will become super-aged – having more than 20 percent of their population aged older than 65. The inversion of the age pyramid will have implications for economic growth, labor force structures and talent gaps, healthcare spending, retirement benefits and pensions, and equity across the globe.

Healthy longevity – helping people flourish in all stages of life, including as older adults – will be critical for all countries worldwide as they embrace the global demographic shift by building age-inclusive societies.

The McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) conducts research on healthy longevity and provides actionable solutions to advance a world where all stakeholders can embrace the global shift towards an older population as an opportunity. MHI’s 2023 Global Healthy Aging Survey revealed that five factors matter most to older adults’ perceived health – having purpose in life, managing stress, being physically active, being a lifelong learner, and interacting with others. Societal participation, (e.g., employment, volunteering, education) is associated with better perceived health, and could benefit organizations and societies at large.

In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, MHI is interested in exploring long-term questions such as:

• How can societies and organizations be more age-inclusive, engage and empower older adults through societal participation, and benefit from this great demographic shift?
• How can we enable older adults to age where they want to and with purpose, as they’ve hoped for? What could be important infrastructures and capabilities to develop?
• What are some of the latest consumer trends and technologies, and how can we harness these to support older adults in the future?