Is Longevity the Next Frontier for Innovation and Inclusion?

Every month, we share highlights on how innovations and changemakers are shaping society for New Longevity.

• By 2050, 2.1 billion people worldwide will be over 60 years old. It’s an opportunity to redefine how we value aging. In AARP International's latest Journal article, “The New Longevity: The World’s Opportunity,” Bill Drayton and Maria Clara Pinheiro argue that older adults are powerful drivers of innovation, care, and contribution. The article features Ashoka Fellows Dixon Chibanda (Friendship Bench), Sergio Serapiao (Labora), and Manisha Ghule (Navchetna Sarvangin Vikas Kendra), who show what is possible when older people are empowered to lead change. Read more.

• The Stanford Center on Longevity ’s Learning Society project calls for a shift from an education model built for short lives to one that supports learning across the full arc of longer lifespans. As outlined on LearningSociety.io, the initiative argues that societies must redesign systems so that learning is continuous, flexible, and shared across schools, workplaces, and communities. Ashoka Fellow Riccarda Zezza arda Zezza reflects this vision in practice, showing how life experiences like motherhood can unlock valuable professional skills that workplaces often overlook. Watch Riccarda’s “Brief but Spectacular” take.

• Japan offers a striking example of longevity’s potential. A recent World Economic Forum (WEF) article, “How Japan’s longevity economy is creating new opportunities,” shows how Japan’s rapidly aging population is fueling growth across healthcare, care tech, and services that address both health and social needs. With nearly 30% of citizens over 65 and the longevity economy projected to hit ¥115 trillion (US$780 billion) by 2040, Japan is proving that longevity is a powerful driver of innovation and growth. Read more.

• The McKinsey Health Institute ’s report, “The Economic Case for Investing in Healthy Aging: Lessons from the United States,” shows that every $1 spent on interventions supporting older adults, covering disease prevention, social inclusion, and healthy lifestyles, can return $3 in economic and healthcare benefits. Highlighting 18 evidence-based interventions in the U.S., the report makes the case that supporting longer, healthier lives is not just good for people, it’s smart for economies too. Read more.

• The Forbes article, “The Rise of the Chief Longevity Officer: Demographics Hits Strategy” by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox , shows how companies, like L'Oréal and Fidelidade, are creating a new executive role to respond to aging workforces and longer careers. At Fidelidade, Mafalda Honório serves as the Chief Longevity Officer, ensuring policies support older employees, boost engagement, and unlock the potential of a multigenerational workforce. A clear shift toward inclusive, future-ready business strategies. Read more.

• Seventeen-year-old Tejasvi Manoj, TIME’s 2025 Kid of the Year, created Shield Seniors to safeguard older adults from online scams. Globally, Ashoka Fellows are tackling the same challenge: in Brazil, Gabriela Agustini’s Transborda 60+ teaches digital literacy to adults over 60, and in Indonesia, Septiaji Nugroho’  MAFINDO and Gustaff Iskandar’s Common Room expand access through locally managed networks that connect Indigenous communities and older adults to the digital age.

• Rohini Nilekani’s AARP International Journal article “A Demographic and Cultural Shift: A Commentary on Aging in India” highlights India’s rapidly growing older population and the critical role of philanthropy. She shows why private capital must support innovation, close delivery gaps, and reframe aging as an opportunity. She spotlights Grey Shades, founded by Ashoka Young Changemaker Inderpreet Singh, as an example of how organizations can empower older people to be active givers and contributors to society.

• Still in India, the Ministry of Labor & Employment has partnered with Mentor Together, founded by Ashoka Fellow Arundhuti Gupta, to embed mentoring into the National Career Service platform and youth employment programs. In its first year, the initiative will connect over 200,000 young job seekers with mentors offering career guidance and support. Read more from the Press Information Bureau.

• In Canada, The Ageism Forum Planning Partners’ report, Shaping the Future: A National Forum’s Call to Action to Eliminating Ageism in Care and Support, highlights how ageism in healthcare and community support limits the well-being and participation of older adults. Drawing on expert insights and lived experiences, the report outlines strategies to reframe aging narratives, address self-directed ageism, and create inclusive policies and practices. It makes the case that combating ageism is not just a social imperative; it is essential for building equitable, age-inclusive communities. Read more.

Ashoka Fellows in Action

• In Venezuela, the Red de la Nueva Longevidad, with partners like Catalyst Now and Aprendo y Emprendo, released “Mapeo colaborativo: Nueva longevidad e intergeneracionalidad en Venezuela”, showing how older adults are strengthening communities through intergenerational collaboration, digital inclusion, and new work opportunities.

• In Brazil, Ashoka Fellow João Souza, founder of FA.VELA , explores in his article “O futuro precisa incluir o passado: envelhecer em um Brasil desigual” how inequality limits older adults’ ability to age with dignity and how intergenerational programs that connect traditional knowledge with modern skills can create inclusion, recognition, and productive participation.

• In the Welcome Change session “Age of Change,” Ashoka Fellow Chris Underhill MBE , co-founder of the Elders Council for Social Entrepreneurs , highlights how seniors fuel resilience, innovation, and systemic transformation.

What are we learning from the New Longevity BrAIn?

How can societies design future longevity systems that ensure health, care, and meaningful contribution for all generations?

• Building the future of longevity means creating systems that integrate prevention, equity, and intergenerational opportunities. Brazil is advancing digital health strategies and age-friendly cities to enhance access and independence for older adults, while Chile is reforming pensions and creating opportunities for older workers to remain active contributors. In India, expanded insurance coverage and initiatives like the University of the Third Age are preparing 300+ million elders for 2047, and Colombia is embedding older adults at the heart of community resilience policies. Together, these examples show that longevity is not only about healthcare, it’s about designing social and economic environments where every generation can thrive side by side.

Key Finding: Longevity systems succeed when they combine health, equity, and intergenerational opportunity, enabling every generation to thrive together.