The Longevity Revolution: Are We Living Longer… or Better?

Introduction

Over the past few decades, we have witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon: human beings are living longer than ever before. A boy born in England in 1900 had a life expectancy of just 44 years. Today, that same child, if born in 2025, could expect to live to 87 if male or 90 if female. And this trend isn’t limited to wealthy nations; even in middle- and low-income countries, life expectancy has risen dramatically thanks to improvements in nutrition, education, sanitation, and healthcare.

But this remarkable achievement raises a crucial question: are those extra years healthy, fulfilling ones or merely an extension of illness and dependency? Traditionally, the concept of healthspan the years lived in good health has guided our understanding. Yet new scientific frameworks suggest we need a more nuanced lens. The emerging concept of intrinsic capacity is reshaping how we understand aging, pointing us toward not just longer life, but healthier, more vibrant later years.

By 2029, New Scientist reports that 1.4 billion people worldwide will be aged 60 or older, roughly one in six of us. But here’s the real question: are these extra years good years? Or have we created a future where millions live longer lives burdened by illness and dependency?

What Is the Difference Between Lifespan and Healthspan?

For years, scientists have drawn a distinction between lifespan (how long we live) and healthspan how long we live free from serious illness or disability.

Between 2000 and 2019, global lifespan increased by 6.5 years, but healthspan rose by only 5.4 years. That widened the healthspan-lifespan gap from 8.5 to 9.6 years. In practical terms, it means millions of people are now spending nearly a decade of their later years living with chronic disease.

The gap is even starker in high-income nations:

United States: 12.4 years in poor health
United Kingdom: 11.3 years
Australia: 12.1 years

And women, while living longer than men, spend even more years struggling with illness.

This data forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth: longevity without health is not much of a victory.

Why the Concept of Healthspan Isn’t Enough

While healthspan helped highlight this issue, researchers now recognize its limitations:

Too black-and-white: It divides people into “healthy” or “not healthy.”
Ignores individual experience: Two people with the same condition (say, diabetes or arthritis) can have completely different lives.
Overlooks functionality: What matters most is whether you can still do what you value—not simply whether you’ve been diagnosed with a disease.

For example, someone with arthritis may technically fall outside the “healthy” category, but with a hip replacement they might walk, travel, and stay active well into their 80s.

That’s why experts argue for a new framework that reflects the continuum of health and the ability to adapt.

Intrinsic Capacity: A Revolutionary Way to Measure Aging

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced a concept that may redefine how we see aging: intrinsic capacity.

Intrinsic capacity measures the composite of mental and physical abilities that allow people to live the life they value. It looks at five domains:

Locomotion: mobility, strength, physical activity.
Cognition: memory, reasoning, problem-solving.
Vision and hearing: sensory functions essential for connection.
Psychological health: emotional well-being, resilience.
Vitality: energy, stamina, metabolic health.

Unlike healthspan, intrinsic capacity doesn’t hinge on disease labels. Instead, it asks: Can you live the life you want? Someone with osteoarthritis, for instance, may still score high on intrinsic capacity if they remain mobile, independent, and socially engaged.

Is 70 Really the New 50?

The data suggests so. Studies in England and China revealed that those born in 1950 reached age 68 with higher intrinsic capacity than those born earlier cohorts had at 62.

This is a vivid example of the compression of morbidity illness and decline being pushed into the final years of life rather than dragging on for decades.

The drivers are familiar:

Better early-life nutrition
Expanded access to education
Declining smoking rates
Vaccinations and antibiotics
Improved medical care

Put simply, many of today’s 70-year-olds are as strong and capable as yesterday’s 50-year-olds.

Have We Reached the Golden Generation?

Despite these gains, some experts caution that progress may stall or even reverse. Rising obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and environmental stressors such as air pollution may erode the benefits achieved by earlier generations.

As New Scientist points out, those born in the 1950s may represent a “golden generation” the healthiest, longest-lived group in human history. Whether younger cohorts will share that legacy remains to be seen.

How to Measure Your Intrinsic Capacity

The WHO offers a free tool called ICOPE (Integrated Care for Older People), which helps individuals measure their intrinsic capacity through simple questions and tests.

It can give you a baseline sense of your strengths across the five domains. More importantly, it highlights areas you can actively improve even later in life.

7 Proven Ways to Boost Intrinsic Capacity at Any Age

Here are the most evidence-backed strategies to improve how well you age:

Eat a balanced diet: Prioritize fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Minimize ultra-processed foods.
Maintain a healthy weight: Obesity significantly reduces both lifespan and healthspan.
Stay physically active: Combine aerobic activity with strength training. Maintaining muscle mass is one of the strongest predictors of healthy aging.
Don’t smoke: Smoking still accounts for millions of preventable deaths each year.
Build resilience: Manage stress with practices like mindfulness, journaling, or therapy.
Protect your mind: Keep learning, reading, and engaging in mentally challenging activities.
Stay socially connected: Friendships and community ties are as protective as physical exercise.

As Columbia University’s John Beard puts it, “It’s never too late.” Even small changes can help preserve function, independence, and vitality.

Healthy Aging Fights Ageism

A powerful side effect of this research is the way it challenges stereotypes about aging. Older adults are often viewed as dependent or burdensome.

But data shows that today’s older adults are healthier, more capable, and more engaged than any generation before them. As Yuka Sumi of the WHO notes, recognizing this reality reframes older adults as a social asset, contributing wisdom, stability, and care to society.

The Policy Challenge: From Lifespan to Functionality

Embracing intrinsic capacity doesn’t just benefit individuals it can reshape how societies plan for aging populations. Policymakers should:

Measure functionality, not just survival in public health metrics.
Invest in childhood health: nutrition, vaccination, and education.
Promote active aging: create walkable, age-friendly cities with safe green spaces.
Rethink retirement: today’s 70-year-olds often have decades of productive life ahead.

These strategies ensure that gains in longevity are shared widely, not just by privileged groups.

Final Thoughts: Adding Life to Years

Aging is changing before our eyes. Reaching 80 or 90 years old is no longer rare it’s becoming normal. But the real revolution isn’t in the number of years we live. It’s in the quality of those years.

The shift from healthspan to intrinsic capacity is more than scientific jargon. It reflects a profound truth: health is not a yes/no condition. It’s a continuum of experiences that can be nurtured, protected, and enhanced.

Perhaps the 1950s generation will indeed be remembered as the healthiest in history. But if we apply what we know eat well, move daily, build resilience, and protect social bonds we can ensure that healthy longevity isn’t just an accident of history, but a sustainable, shared achievement.

In the end, the goal is simple but profound: not just adding years to life, but adding life to years.

Glossary

Lifespan: Total years lived.
Healthspan: Years lived in good health, free of disabling illness.
Intrinsic capacity: The composite of physical and mental abilities across five domains, reflecting true functionality.
Compression of morbidity: The phenomenon of illness being concentrated in the final years of life rather than spread across decades.
ICOPE: WHO’s Integrated Care for Older People tool for assessing and improving intrinsic capacity.

References

Lawton, G. (2025). The Ageing Revolution. New Scientist, August 16, 2025, pp. 29–31.
Beard, J., Officer, A., & Cassels, A. (2016). World Report on Ageing and Health. World Health Organization.
Olshansky, S. J., & Carnes, B. A. (2009). The Future of Human Longevity. In Demography and Public Health. Oxford University Press.
WHO (2020). Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE): Guidance for person-centred assessment and pathways in primary care. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Terzic, A., & Garmany, A. (2022). “Healthspan–Lifespan Gap: An Emerging Global Health Challenge.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Saturday, August 16, 2025