Each generation has been aging better than the last, but it looks like we’ve finally hit a wall.
April 3, 2026
Original Paper
Cohort Trends in Intrinsic Capacity in Europe
SSRN · 6504605
The Takeaway
While medicine has helped people stay healthier for longer over the last century, new data shows these gains are stalling for people born more recently. Furthermore, the health gap between the wealthy and the poor in old age isn't getting any smaller.
From the abstract
Background: Intrinsic capacity (IC) is a comprehensive measure of physical and mental capacities central to the World Health Organization healthy ageing framework. Studies from England and China suggest that more recently born cohorts enter older ages with higher IC and experience slower declines, but it is unknown whether similar improvements are occurring in other settings, in adults under 60 years and across socioeconomic groups. <div> <br> </div> <div> Methods: We analysed 7 waves of the Sur