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This PDF is a scholarly Health Policy paper that p This PDF is a scholarly Health Policy paper that presents a powerful argument for shifting global thinking from an “ageing society” to a “longevity society.” Written by Professor Andrew J. Scott, it explains that humanity is entering a new demographic stage where people are not just living longer but are gaining more years of life at every age, which fundamentally transforms work, education, healthcare, social norms, and intergenerational relationships.
The core message:
We must stop viewing population ageing as a burden and instead redesign society to fully benefit from longer, healthier lives — focusing on prevention, healthy ageing, life-course investment, and new social structures that support longer futures.
📘 1. Ageing Society vs. Longevity Society
Ageing Society
Focuses on population structure
More older people, fewer younger people
Leads to concerns about dependency ratios, pensions, and healthcare burden
Longevity Society
Focuses on how we age, not just how many old people exist
Views longer life as an opportunity
Requires new norms, new policies, new life designs
Emphasizes healthy ageing, not just ageing
The shift is necessary because life expectancy gains now occur mainly at older ages, making longevity a transformative force in modern life.
Longevity society
📈 2. The Demographic Transformation
Using France as an example:
In 1900, only 35% of newborns lived to 65
In 2018, 88% survived to 65
The modal age of death increased from infancy (early 1900s) to 89 years (today)
Globally:
Population aged 65+ will rise from 9.3% in 2020 to 22.6% in 2100
This reflects an unprecedented demographic and epidemiological transition.
Longevity society
🧠 3. Why a Longevity Society Matters
Longevity brings:
✔️ Positive outcomes
More healthy years of life
Later onset of disease
Higher employment of older adults
More time for education, relationships, purpose, contribution
Opportunity to redesign life for a longer future
❌ But also risks
More years lived with illness
Rising healthcare and pension costs
Inequalities in ageing
Increased chronic disease burden
Social tensions between generations
Ageism and outdated norms
Scott argues that understanding both sides is essential for effective policy.
Longevity society
👤 4. Individual Implications of Longer Lives
A longevity society profoundly changes the individual life course:
A. More Future Time
People must prepare for longer futures:
Invest more in education
Build long-term careers
Save more financially
Maintain health earlier and more intentionally
B. Age Malleability
Age is no longer fixed — how we age can be changed.
Healthy habits, environment, and prevention matter more than ever.
C. Multi-stage Life
The traditional 3-stage model (education → work → retirement) no longer fits.
Future lives will include:
Multiple careers
Lifelong learning
Periods of rest, reskilling, care, entrepreneurship
Flexible transitions
D. Greater Individual Responsibility
Because norms are changing, individuals must experiment with new life designs and prepare for long-term paths.
Longevity society
🏥 5. Health Sector Implications
To support a longevity society, healthcare must undergo major transformation.
A. From Intervention to Prevention
Only 2.8% of health spending goes to prevention — this must dramatically increase.
B. Reduce Comorbidities
Healthy life expectancy must be improved by:
Slowing accumulation of chronic diseases
Reducing inequality
Providing early-life and midlife interventions
C. Build Longevity Councils
Governments need cross-departmental coordination to address:
Housing
Transport
Education
Environment
Social policy
D. Invest in Geroscience
The paper calls for major research investment into:
Biology of ageing
Senolytics
Age-delaying therapies
Biomarkers of biological age
Longevity society
🌍 6. Social Implications
A. Replace Chronological Age with Biological Age
Chronological age is outdated and ignores:
Health differences
Age diversity
Malleability of ageing
Biological age metrics are needed for better policy.
B. Fight Ageism
Ageism blocks opportunities for older adults and harms intergenerational harmony.
C. Rethink Intergenerational Relations
Younger generations now have a high chance of becoming old themselves.
Policies must:
Support the young (who will be the future old)
Avoid favoring current older populations unfairly
Encourage intergenerational mixing
D. New Social Norms
As longevity rises, society must rethink:
Education timelines
Marriage and fertility patterns
Work-life balance
Retirement timing
The 21st century will create new social stages of life just as the 20th century created “teenage” and “retirement.”
Longevity society
🧩 7. The Paper’s Key Conclusion
A longevity society requires:
A new social contract
A prevention-focused health system
Lifelong learning
Anti-ageism policies
Support for multi-stage careers
Cross-government coordination
Redesigning institutions for long life
Embracing the opportunity of extra years
Humanity is entering a new era where the goal is not just to live longer — but to live better, healthier, more productive, and more meaningful long lives.... |