Dmitry Kaminskiy, General Partner, Deep Knowledge Group, says the Gulf Cooperation Council has a unique opportunity to position itself at the forefront of the global longevity revolution by investing in science, innovation and preventive healthcare as part of long-term economic competitiveness.
By 2100, the MENA region is expected to have a larger population than both China and Europe whose populations are projected to decline.
According to UBS, the longevity market is expected to grow from US$5.3 trillion in 2023 to US$8 trillion by 2030
Longevity is becoming a national competitiveness strategy, emerging as the next frontier in science, innovation and economic strategy.
With global life expectancy rising from 64.9 to 73.3 years and populations aging, the question is no longer whether societies must adapt but who will lead this shift.
The Middle East, particularly the GCC, has an opportunity to take the helm of the global longevity revolution, positioning itself as a vanguard for healthy aging through investment in biotech, preventive care and age-tech innovation.
A demographic turning point
As the MENA region enters the third millennium, its population is witnessing a rapid growth momentum.
Since the 1950s, the population has grown nearly fivefold from just under 110 million in 1950 to approximately 569 million in 2017.
Despite a general decline in fertility rates across much of the region, the overall population is projected to double again, surpassing one billion by the end of the 21st century.
By 2100, the MENA region is expected to have a larger population than both China whose population is anticipated to shrink to just over one billion and Europe which is projected to decline by around 10% over the same period.
Unlike Western nations that are grappling with aging populations alongside slow economic growth and overstretched healthcare systems, the Gulf countries are positioned to respond from a place of strength. Their economies are youthful, they have visionary leadership, robust sovereign wealth funds and a proven ability to leapfrog into the future by embracing disruptive technologies.
Governments across the region have already shown commitment to healthcare transformation.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE’s National Strategy for Wellbeing reflect an understanding that health is a cornerstone of future competitiveness.
But the time has come to expand that ambition and to move from treatment to prevention, from sick care to longevity science and from incremental improvement to radical innovation.
Regional champions for longevity
At the core of the longevity revolution is a simple but transformative idea which resides in the fact that aging is a biological process that can be slowed, reversed or managed through scientific intervention.
According to UBS, the longevity market is expected to grow from US$5.3 trillion in 2023 to US$8 trillion by 2030.
Additionally, the total value of longevity and anti-senescence therapies was US$25.1 billion in 2020 and will reach US$44.2 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.1%, driven by breakthroughs in cellular rejuvenation, gene therapy, senolytics and regenerative medicine.
With these figures into consideration, the Middle East must not be a passive consumer of these technologies and must become a producer.
Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE can take the lead by investing in regional biotech ecosystems that focus explicitly on longevity research. This means building dedicated longevity research centers, funding translational medicine labs and creating regulatory sandboxes for clinical trials on anti-aging therapies.
The region’s world-class infrastructure from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology to Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 can serve as platforms for these efforts.
Across the Middle East, a new generation of entrepreneurs and scientists is already laying the groundwork. Several companies are working towards making longevity science accessible, personalised and proactive.
By combining genomics, biomarkers and AI-driven diagnostics, they are pioneering early interventions that could radically extend health span for individuals in the region.
In the UAE, the Dubai Research, Development and Innovation Grant Initiative managed by the Dubai Future Foundation has awarded funding to numerous health-focused projects, among them advanced biosensor diagnostics, biomarkers for Alzheimer’s, pain-measurement platforms and multi-omic health research.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has signed international partnerships to advance cell therapy and precision medicine.
Bahrain and Qatar are exploring AI-powered population health platforms that can detect chronic disease risks decades before symptoms appear.
This regional momentum must be accelerated through cross-border funding platforms, regional venture funds focused on age-tech and longevity start-ups and pan-Arab networks of research institutions that can share data, talent and tools.
The economic case for longevity
Longevity is becoming a national competitiveness strategy. According to the Longevity Economy Outlook by AARP, people aged 50+ generated US$9 trillion in economic activity in the US alone in 2018.
Imagine the untapped potential of a healthier, longer-living population in the Middle East with a greater number of individuals who can work longer, innovate longer and contribute more fully to society.
The World Economic Forum has argued that every additional year of healthy life contributes significantly to GDP growth.
In the Gulf, where governments are striving to diversify from oil and build knowledge economies, the longevity sector represents a high-value, future-oriented industry, intersecting with biotech, AI, fintech specifically longevity insurance and retirement tech, wellness tourism and even urban design.
If the GCC wants to lead in the next era of human progress, it must think beyond hospitals and health insurance and start investing more in the science of aging. It must redesign its economic and social models to value older adults and create ecosystems where longevity innovation can flourish.
