Longevity: Italia can become the global laboratory of AgeTech
By 2100 the over-65s will make up 24% of the world's population. The European ecosystem is already worth 23 billion dollars, but the investment gap penalises the Italia system
By 2100, the over-65s will account for 24% of the world's population. This is not just a demographic evolution, but a structural transformation that redefines work, welfare, health and consumption patterns. The age pyramid is inverted, the pressure on public systems is increasing, and the question is no longer how long we will live, but how. In this scenario, Italia, one of the longest-living countries in the world, can aspire to an unprecedented role: to become a global laboratory of the longevity economy.
The European AgeTech ecosystem - all those technologies, devices and apps that are related to longevity - is today worth USD 23.9 billion in terms of the overall valuation of major companies, with 5.5 billion in capital raised. This size is still selective, but expanding rapidly, driven by five technology clusters that are redefining the market. According to the mapping carried out by Teha Group's Longevity+ Community, out of 150 European companies, 62% of the leading companies leverage Ai& Data intelligence, the enabling infrastructure for personalising services, predictive analytics and integrated health and financial data management.
Alongside artificial intelligence, Genomics & precision medicine emerged, accounting for 28% of the sample and aiming to intervene in the biological mechanisms of ageing; MedTech and Cognitive and assistive robotics, both at 12%, ranging from advanced diagnostics to supportive robotics; and finally Wearables & connected health, at 9%, with devices for continuous monitoring of physical and cognitive parameters.
Scientific growth confirms the trajectory: publications on longevity have increased more than eightfold from 2000 to 2025, while those on applied technologies have grown more than fiftyfold. Research accelerates, but the geography of capital tells a different story. The United Kingdom concentrates almost half of European investments, with over 2 billion dollars raised, while Italia stops at 68.2 million, outside the continent's top ten. A gap that does not reflect the quality of national research, but the difficulty of attracting patient capital and building an integrated ecosystem. As Corrado Panzeri, Partner & Head of Innovation and Technology Hub at Teha Group, points out: 'Longevity is not just a demographic challenge, but a new industrial platform. Italia has all the elements to play a leading role, but we need a national strategy capable of transforming scientific excellence and social need into economic development and capital attraction'. According to Panzeri, the delay in investment does not reflect a lack of skills, but rather the absence of a systemic infrastructure capable of connecting research, business and finance in a stable manner.
Yet the structural conditions are not lacking. Italia has a universal healthcare system, recognised scientific excellence and a widespread culture of prevention. Moreover, the European Silver Economy has reached EUR 5.7 trillion, contributing 32% to the EU's GDP and 38% to employment. Acting on ageing processes could generate an estimated global value of $38 trillion for each additional year of healthy living.
