How 21st-Century Longevity Can Create Markets and Drive Economic Growth

The white paper examines the economic potential of an ageing global population, noting that by mid-century, people over 60 will outnumber those under 15. It highlights how corporations are already integrating longevity into their commercial strategies—ranging from healthcare and financial services to retail and technology—and advocates for age-friendly workplace policies and public sector reforms to sustain growth.

• A major global demographic shift is occurring where, by the middle of the century, the number of people over 60 will exceed the number of people under 15.
• The 'silver economy' represents a massive commercial opportunity because the over-60 demographic is growing rapidly and controls a significant portion of global wealth; in the United States, it is projected that 70% of disposable income will be held by those over 60 by 2017.
• Contrary to the belief that ageing is primarily an issue for industrialized nations, emerging markets are currently experiencing the most dramatic impacts of this demographic shift.
• Various global companies are already implementing longevity-based strategies: BlackRock is redesigning retirement assets; Intel is focusing on telehealth and age-friendly business principles; Nestlé Skin Health is establishing SHIELD centres for skin health; and Fujitsu has developed the Raku-Raku smartphone for older users.
• To sustain economic growth, companies must transition from isolated corporate citizenship to a strategic repositioning of the workplace that values older workers as mentors and implements flexible career frameworks, such as Deloitte's Mass Career Customization (MCC) programme.
• The document identifies critical public policy needs to support the longevity economy, including labour market flexibility, incentives for 'silver entrepreneurship', and reforms to pensions and education to accommodate lives lasting 100 years.

APA

World Economic Forum (2015). How 21st-Century Longevity Can Create Markets and Drive Economic Growth. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_Ageing_White_Paper.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. How 21st-Century Longevity Can Create Markets and Drive Economic Growth. 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_Ageing_White_Paper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=How 21st-Century Longevity Can Create Markets and Drive Economic Growth |date=5 October 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_Ageing_White_Paper.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2015how, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{How 21st-Century Longevity Can Create Markets and Drive Economic Growth}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_Ageing_White_Paper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }