The longevity revolution

The advancements in longevity have been dramatic over the last few decades, though these improvements do not impact all countries uniformly. Experts do not agree on what the future holds in terms of longevity. The drivers of longevity remain complex, and the consequences of emerging threats (obesity, electromagnetic waves, genetic engineering, pollution, etc.) on life expectancy are controversial and hotly debated.

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Being a crucial topic for AXA, the Group hosted a conference on the longevity revolution on December 11, 2015 focusing on longevity risks and the consequences of longer lives. The aim of this event was to bring together academics and AXA people, experts to discuss the topic, keeping in mind that academics and experts share the same concerns but do not necessarily see them from the same angle.

Mohamed Baccouche

Former AXA Group Life Chief Risk Officer

At AXA we believe that mixing the historical data approach – classical approach – on one hand, and expert judgment, and especially the work with academics on the other hand, is the best way to monitor the risks associated with longevity in the long term.

About 20 academics, including 7 grantees from the AXA Research Fund (which dedicated €21 million to support 49 projects led by academics on the matter, in funds), and about 60 AXA experts were present. This conference was organized by AXA Group Risk Management with the help of the French demographer Jean-Marie Robine, Life and the AXA Research Fund.

The conference was divided into workshops and presentations, allowing a general debate between the academics and the experts around questions and topics such as:

Rectangularization of the survival curve: what do we know about the future of mortality?
Trends in frailty: is morbidity compressing or not?
Longevity and smart, connected products: what can be the expected impacts of new technologies on longevity?
Social inequalities in healthy longevity: what are the social differences in longevity and disability?
Life and healthy life expectancies
Human longevity – what about immortality?
What are the determinants of longevity?