Ageing and Longevity

Demographic trends will exert a major influence on the future economic performance of every country. Due to falling birth rates and increases in life expectancy, economies need to adapt to an ageing society defined by a rising number and proportion of older people. This changing age structure threatens slower economic growth, pressures on health systems and pension funding as well as significant effects on wages, interest rates and inflation.

At the same time, individuals and institutions need to adapt to substantial past, and potential future, increases in life expectancy. Gains in life expectancy require changes in the life cycle with implications for employment, education, retirement, savings and fertility decisions. As life expectancy increases it is necessary to ensure that life is also healthier and productive for longer. With the majority of employment growth in OECD economies now driven by workers aged over fifty years of age, investing in healthy and productive ageing can have significant first order macroeconomic benefits, potentially offsetting the negative consequences of an ageing society.

These dual factors of ageing and longevity require a richer understanding of the life cycle and the drivers of individual behaviours at each age, what drives changes in behaviour with age and how shifts in the life cycle can influence the macroeconomy. Ageing and longevity are highly multidimensional phenomena requiring a broad focus on a wide range of issues.

The aim of the RPN is to become the leading forum on the topic, providing expertise and insight so as to better understand the implications of ageing and longevity and identify the research agendas and policies necessary to ensure that both individuals and national economies benefit from the new realities of longer lives. The RPN will seek to develop frameworks integrating health and macroeconomics, encourage research into ageing and longevity and provide an environment for academics and policymakers to share insights in order to deliver policies to ensure that both individuals and economies remain healthy and productive in the face of an ageing society.