| dataset_desc |
“Productive Longevity: What Can the World Bank Do “Productive Longevity: What Can the World Bank Do to Foster Longer and More Productive Working Lives?” is a comprehensive World Bank report that examines how countries—especially low- and middle-income countries (L/MICs)—can adapt to rapidly aging populations by enabling older adults to remain productive, healthy, and economically active for longer.
The report explains that as fertility declines and life expectancy rises, countries face increasing fiscal pressure from pensions, health care, and long-term care. To counter these challenges, governments must find ways to extend productive working lives and boost the productivity of people aged 55+, both as employees and entrepreneurs.
It outlines why productive longevity matters: older workers represent a large and growing labor resource, and evidence shows that engaging older adults does not reduce opportunities for younger workers. Instead, healthy and active aging can support economic growth, reduce dependency ratios, and strengthen pension sustainability.
Using a structured framework, the report identifies key constraints—on the supply side (e.g., early retirement rules, limited training, poor health), the demand side (e.g., ageism, seniority-based wages, lack of employer investment), and job matching (e.g., services not tailored to older workers). It then shows what policy tools can address these barriers: pension and labor regulatory reforms, lifelong learning systems, flexible work arrangements, age-inclusive workplaces, investments in health, improved childcare and eldercare services, entrepreneurship support for older adults, and targeted employment services.
The report highlights major gaps in evidence—especially in L/MICs—and calls for stronger diagnostics, new data systems, and pilot programs to understand what truly works. It also reviews current World Bank activities and suggests how the Bank can mainstream an “aging lens” across sectors such as social protection, labor markets, health, education, agriculture, and technology.
Overall, the document argues that productive longevity is essential for sustaining growth and well-being in an aging world, and that the World Bank can play a central role by supporting countries to build policies and systems that help people stay healthy, skilled, and economically active throughout their lives.... |