The Longevity Revolution Is Coming — Will It Include You?

Forbes

6 days ago

Who wants to live forever? The answer is — just about everyone. But as people live longer, the real question is whether those extra years will be healthy, productive, and accessible to all — or a privilege for the few.
When most people think about longevity, they think about fitness trackers, sleep clinics, biohacking startups, or the latest personalized supplements. But as someone who has spent the past decade building a healthcare company in Bangladesh, I can tell you: the tools for living longer have been around a very long time. What's missing are the systems to make those tools available to everyone.
The evidence is clear: if everyone in the world had access to a basic health check once a year, we ... More could increase life expectancy by up to seven years across the globe.
The biggest breakthroughs in life expectancy won't come from flashy technology. They will come from preventing disease altogether — from ensuring that more people can detect and manage chronic illnesses before they become life-threatening.
Today, over 70% of deaths globally are caused by chronic, non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Modern longevity is about staying healthy, active, and free from chronic disease for as long as possible. As longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia has said, 'The goal isn't to avoid death entirely — that's impossible — but to delay the onset of the diseases that most commonly kill us.'
The goal isn't to avoid death entirely — that's impossible — but to delay the onset of the diseases that most commonly kill us.The evidence is clear: if everyone in the world had access to a basic health check once a year, we could increase life expectancy by up to seven years across the globe.
And yet, many people only seek care when they are already seriously ill. In emerging markets especially, the window for prevention closes too soon — often due to cost, distance, or a lack of trust in the system.
At Praava Health, we've seen how that can change. Through a combination of high-quality physical clinics and digital tools, we've served nearly a million patients in Bangladesh — and today, over 30% of our patients come to us for preventive care, not just treatment. Technology plays a critical role — not as a substitute for the doctor, but as a bridge that amplifies access and care. At Praava, digital tools allow us to reach underserved communities, automate clinical protocols, flag early signs of disease, and help patients take control of their health.
If we focus only on technology, we risk leaving vast populations behind. Nearly three billion people globally still lack internet access. Over a billion live without reliable electricity.
The good news is that we don't need fancy tech to improve healthspan. Even in the richest countries in the world, no technology tool or gadget can replace human connection, continuity, or care. No technology, no treatment, can substitute for the power of community. In fact, as more of us spend more and more time looking at screens rather than at each other, loneliness is one of the greatest and most underestimated health challenges of our time. We now know that social isolation doesn't just affect our mental wellbeing — it increases the risk of heart disease, dementia, and premature death as much as smoking or obesity.
Longevity begins with systems: trusted, accessible, affordable care.
Across the Global South, we've already seen how simple, system-level investments in prevention can dramatically improve outcomes:
These stories prove what's possible, even when resources are scarce. The tools to extend life are in frontline clinics, community health programs, and policies that make prevention accessible.
And the returns on longevity are not only social — they're economic. Longer, healthier lives translate into stronger labor markets, rising incomes, and growing consumer demand. In emerging markets, simple interventions can deliver outsized gains for both health and financial returns. Healthcare systems in Asia, for example, trade at 2-3x the valuations of comparable U.S. systems — driven by demand, demographic momentum, and the ability to leapfrog outdated, rigid infrastructure. These markets can build more efficient, tech-enabled health systems from the ground up.
Ultimately, each of us must be the quarterback of our own health and longevity. As Dr. Richa Chaturvedi, a leading endocrinologist in India, reminds us, 'Longevity is a fascinating mix of what we inherit from our parents and the choices we make every day. While our genes do set the stage—some people are simply born with a head start—most research agrees that how we live plays a bigger part in how long and how well we live. Things like what we eat, how active we are, how we handle stress, and whether we avoid harmful habits like smoking can make a huge difference, sometimes even outweighing family history. So, even if you don't come from a long line of centenarians, there's a lot you can do to stack the odds in your favour and enjoy a longer, healthier life.'
However, without systems that enable those choices, people — especially in the Global South — are left behind.
Longevity is a fascinating mix of what we inherit from our parents and the choices we make every day.The most effective healthcare systems are built on a foundation of prevention — not just flashy tech, but high-quality, accessible care that ensures everyone can benefit from something as simple and powerful as an annual health check.
To truly democratize longevity, we need:
✔ Affordable, high-quality healthcare and diagnostics, centered around primary care
✔ Financing tools like microinsurance and wellness-linked savings
✔ Investments in frontline workers and community health teams
✔ Regulations that promote access to nutritious food and clean environments
✔ Policies that remove barriers — particularly for women, rural communities, and aging populations
The same drivers fueling longevity businesses in the West — prevention, proactive care, system design — are even more scalable, and often more urgent, in the Global South.Building systems that empower healthier, longer lives isn't just a moral imperative — it's an economic one. And it's one of the most investable opportunities of our time.
If longevity is the next frontier of human progress, it must belong to all of us — not only those of us who can afford it.