Hevolution Foundation is catalyzing the shift from lifespan to healthspan by advancing the field of geroscience for healthier, longer lives.
Aging impacts us all, transcending gender, demographics, and socioeconomic boundaries. While the global population is living longer, these additional years often come with declining health, as chronic illnesses prevent us from living fulfilling later years. The world is facing a “silver tsunami”—an unprecedented rise in the global aging population expected to double to 2 billion by 2050. This demographic shift threatens global health systems, calling for a proactive approach to prevent unsustainable social and economic strains.
Research shows that we spend 10 years on average in poor health, creating a gap between lifespan and healthspan – the number of years spent in good health. This not only burdens older adults with chronic illnesses and declining quality of life but, coupled with low birth rates, places a growing responsibility on younger generations; it is estimated that by 2075, every 100 working-age individuals will need to support nearly 60 people aged 65 or older, doubling today’s ratio.
Hevolution Foundation, a global non-profit based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was founded to address the challenges of aging and promote healthier aging for all. We aim to increase the number of therapeutics, compress the drug development timeline, and increase accessibility to those therapeutics. We will achieve by this by leveraging our annual $1 billion budget to increase the number of researchers in the field, attract funding and investments, and expand the number of companies working on aging-related research. With over $400 million already committed to grants and early-stage funding, Hevolution is the world’s largest philanthropic funder for geroscience, driving critical advancements in healthy aging.
Why Focusing on Healthspan Helps Solve a Major Global Health Issue
Today’s healthcare system is reactive, designed to treat illnesses rather than prevent them, which leaves it ill-equipped to handle the influx of the aging population. Without addressing aging at its root cause, healthcare systems will struggle to keep up with this demand, risking collapse.
The challenge goes beyond healthcare system limitations; declining birth rates and a global shortage of healthcare workers exacerbate this issue. The World Health Organization estimates a shortage of 18 million healthcare workers by 2030, further straining systems as they struggle to meet the needs of a rising aging population. In fact, 63% of healthcare professionals surveyed by Hevolution agree that health systems could face financial collapse by 2030 without breakthroughs in aging science.
Investing in healthspan brings tremendous benefits for the global economy. Data shows that even a one-year increase in healthy life expectancy could save nearly $38 trillion in healthcare and productivity gains. Rather than spending final years in declining health, people could remain active and engaged, contribun healthcare systems. Healthier aging means people can remain active contributors to society rather than enduring prolonged years of decline.
Looking Ahead: Convening and Catalyzing the Healthspan Field
Hevolution’s commitment to healthspan extends beyond funding alone; it’s about building a global movement. To foster impactful collaboration, Hevolution is hosting the second Global Healthspan Summit on February 4-5, 2025, in Riyadh. This event will bring together researchers, investors, policymakers, and technology leaders to drive action and innovation in aging science. Following the success of the 2023 summit, which drew over 2,000 attendees, Hevolution aims to build on this momentum with new, groundbreaking advancements and to catalyze global partnerships that prioritize healthy aging for all.
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