Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Capitalising on longevity
March 17, 2026
How demographic shifts are reshaping key markets
The age of longevity is upon us. Older generations have traditionally been viewed primarily in social terms.
But now they are becoming a dominant group in economic development. Terms such as Slow Tourism, AgeTech, and Aging in Place are unlikely to be familiar to Russian investors, both private and public.
And that's a shame. After all, they refer to the trending concepts of the ‘silver economy’: ‘slow’ tourism, medical technologies to combat ageing, and adapting housing to the needs of older people.
This is a huge market worth trillions of dollars. This potential can and should be capitalised on.
The global economy is rapidly ageing. Simple calculations show that over the next 25 years, the number of people over 60 will more than double, from 1.4 billion to 2.1 billion. By that time, the average person will live to be 77.3 years old (almost 4 years longer than today).
Europe will lead the way with an average life expectancy of 84 years, while the advanced Asian economies — Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China — will reach 80–82 years. It is important to note that, in addition to increased life expectancy, the quality of life will also change. A modern 70-year-old is physically and cognitively equivalent to a 53-year-old in 2000. People remain active for longer, which means they participate in the economy for longer.
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Objective demographic shifts are also leading to a transformation of the economy as a whole. After all, older people have accumulated significant resources, which they use quite actively. The total expenditure of all households in the older population amounted to $17 trillion in 2025, or 27% of all global expenditure, according to a report by the Silver Economy analytical agency.
Of this, $4.2 trillion is accounted for by the specialised Silver Economy Market, which offers goods and services tailored to older citizens. This market is growing at a rate that exceeds the average global GDP growth rate, averaging 7.6% per year.
People of retirement and pre-retirement age now account for 34% ($45 trillion) of global gross domestic product. By 2050, their share will grow to 39% of GDP — $118 trillion.
But as prosperity grows, the structure of demand is also changing. Already, most of the global consumer class lives in the world's majority countries. So far, their populations are mostly young, and their economies are built around active consumers under the age of 45. However, as these generations age, a new type of pensioner is emerging — one that is more numerous and more affluent. This inevitably changes the structure of demand and economic priorities. Therefore, both businesses and governments need to adapt their strategies to the new demographic reality today.
The ‘ageing’ of the economy is opening up new markets. Not only is the proportion of the elderly population changing, but so is the consumption pattern of older people.
Healthcare and AgeTech
The largest share of the ‘silver economy’ market (about 31%) in 2025 will be occupied by the health and well-being sector — goods and services created specifically for the elderly (preventive medicine, hearing aids, longevity clinics), which is estimated at $1.3 trillion.
See: Canada At A Productivity Crossroads, Bank Of Canada Warns
Demand for medical devices is growing exponentially: knee implants, technologies for treating aortic stenosis and glaucoma — the total addressable market for these technologies will grow from $1.8 billion in 2025 to $8.3 billion by 2035. This is almost a fivefold increase in ten years.
The AgeTech market stands out separately. Its volume reached $279 billion in 2025, approximately one-fifth of the entire health and well-being sector for the elderly.
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