New Longevity Societies Project

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the 20th century marked the beginning of one of the most transformative phenomena in society: the so-called longevity revolution. In most developed countries, as a result of improved health, nutrition and hygiene, this has meant that the vital ratio of the population now exceeds 80 years. In other words, life expectancy has doubled in a short period of time and will only continue to increase in the medium term.

By 2050, it is expected that, in all developed countries, there will be more people over the age of 50 than babies to be born. And if we go beyond that date and add one more generation, the reality will be even more stark and unusual: the largest population group will be people over 60.

A new determining factor is added to the above: the coincidence of the increase in life expectancy and the decline in fertility.

The confluence of both phenomena has led to a definitive change in our population profiles. If, just a few decades ago, the distribution of the population generated more or less regular pyramids, with a majority percentage of children, young people and adults, the projection into the future - which is already, to a large extent, our present - leads to a completely different geometry, more inclined towards a rectangular profile.

The assumption of this global challenge must move away from what some pejoratively refer to as a "grey tsunami", undoubtedly contaminated by sterile pessimism. This conceptualisation must be overcome as a matter of urgency. The extension of life expectancy and its consequence, which is the longevity of the population, is one of the most explicit signs of humanity's progress.

Longevity Societies

The premise of the Long-Lived Societies Project is based on the committed and constructive decision to address longevity as one of the strengths of the future society.

Our mission is based on the need to promote, accelerate and implement scientific research and discoveries, technological advances, behavioural practices and the renewal of norms so that the lives of long-lived people are not only healthy and rewarding for them, but also for society itself.

Longevity, as conceived and formulated in the project, is not equivalent to retirement, to inaction, to a complete absence of participation, usefulness or productivity - understood not only from a strictly economic point of view - but, rather, quite the opposite: longevity understood as the moment in life when what has already been learnt becomes a true social capital, transferable to the community as a whole.

The Management Committee of the Interreg VI A Spain - Portugal Cooperation Programme (POCTEP) 2021-2027, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), at its meeting of 28/09/2023, agreed to grant ERDF aid of 2,716,021.95 euros to the project New Long-Lived Societies (0137_NSL_6_E).