Population aging is treated almost exclusively as a fiscal problem. Fewer births, more pensions, higher health expenditures. Today, however, the discussion is shifting. Longevity is considered not only a challenge, but also one of the greatest opportunities of the coming decades.
It is precisely this philosophy that the new Inter-Institutional Postgraduate Studies Program “Silver Economy: Economy, Society and Innovation in Longevity” seeks to introduce in Greece, focusing on the economic, social and business dimensions of demographic aging.
The numbers explain why the issue is gaining importance. The global population over 60 years old is estimated to reach 2.1 billion by 2050, changing labor markets, consumption, health, tourism and the whole of economic activity.
The so-called Silver Economy does not concern only elderly care services. It includes products, technologies, new forms of entrepreneurship, financial services, housing, wellness, tourism and digital applications aimed at a population with a longer life expectancy and different needs.
The discussion takes on particular importance for Greece. As Professor of Economic Demography Alexandra Tragaki points out, the country has entered a demographic trajectory that is difficult to reverse, as the decline in births is now linked to the shrinking of the very age groups that can have children.
Under these conditions, leveraging longevity and the active participation of older age groups in the economy constitute more of a development strategy than a choice.
The new program aspires to train executives of public administration, local government, the market and entrepreneurship around this new field.
The real challenge, however, lies beyond the classrooms. It is whether the Greek economy will realize in time that population aging is not only a fiscal threat, but also a new market with significant investment and business potential.