Italy is behind only Japan for the highest average age

How prepared is Italy to ensure a good old age for a growing number of citizens? The Longevity economic forum organized by Unicredit at the headquarters of Borsa Italiana on May 28 tried to answer this question. A crucial question for what is the country with the second highest average age in the world (behind Japan). Fortunately, the research carried out in collaboration with the National innovation centre for ageing (NICA) of the United Kingdom and with Fidelity International and presented at Palazzo Mezzanotte has outlined a picture that is certainly susceptible to improvement but still encouraging. In the Unicredit longevity index , which measures how ready countries are to support a longer and healthier life, considering individual behavior, health systems, physical environment and social conditions, Italy ranks 14th out of 30 countries analyzed (all European with the exception of the United States). At the top of the ranking is Scandinavia (Denmark first, Sweden second and Finland third), while in the last positions is Eastern Europe (Romania last and Serbia second to last).

In Italy, the areas to improve include a sedentary lifestyle , territorial inequalities and psychological fragility . In particular, only 26.7% of Italian adults regularly practice aerobic physical activity, compared to an EU average of 44.3%; healthy life expectancy at birth in Italy is 70.74 years, almost one year less than in the most advanced Nordic countries; only 29.7% of Italians between 25 and 64 participate in continuing education or training programs, compared to a European average of 46.6%. Alongside these challenges, Italy also shows encouraging data: overall life expectancy remains among the highest in Europe and 43.1% of over-65s declare themselves to be in good or excellent health, a figure higher than the European average (39.6%). "The economics of longevity is not just about living longer," Nobel Prize winner Michael Spence stressed in his speech. "It's about rethinking entire industries, investment strategies and society as a whole."