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The world is in the midst of a stunning demographic transformation. It is called global aging, and it promises to transform virtually every dimension of public and private life, from the shape of the family to the shape of the geopolitical order.

  • Between 2010 and 2030, the number of Americans aged 65 and over will nearly double.
  • By 2040, more than one in three adults in Germany, Italy, and Japan will be retirees.
  • By 2050, there will be more than 100 million Chinese over age 80—and more South Koreans may be turning 90 each year than being born.

The Global Aging Institute (GAI) is a nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to improving our understanding of global aging, to informing policymakers and the public about the challenges it poses, and to encouraging timely and constructive policy responses. Our research agenda is broad, encompassing everything from retirement security to national security. And our perspective is global, encompassing aging societies worldwide.

Before founding the institute in 2014, GAI President Richard Jackson directed a program on global aging at the Center for Strategic and International Studies whose cutting-edge research played a leading role in shaping the debate over what promises to be one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century. The Global Aging Institute builds on that legacy.