The world is on the brink of a major paradigm shift, where health, longevity, and well-being are becoming the new currency of progress. Due to a specific mix of strengths and industrial development strategies, all nations in the Gulf are uniquely positioned to seize leadership roles in what promises to be one of the most transformative industries of the 21st century: the longevity economy. But what exactly does this mean, and how can Gulf region territories emerge as key players and potentially as global leaders in this space?
The concept of Longevity Oases – ecosystems that combine cutting-edge health and wellness infrastructure with a vibrant economy based on human longevity- is no longer a futuristic vision. It’s happening in the Gulf, a region with countries already thriving in sectors like healthcare innovation, luxury health wellness real estate, and high-tech medical services. Just as oases support life in challenging environments, these ecosystems nurture the conditions for longer, healthier lives, enabling sustainable health and wealth maximization through extended healthspan. And, importantly, these “oases” could soon serve as the blueprint for the future of global health.
Building a longevity ecosystem: More than just medicine
Many people assume that the key to success in Longevity Industrialization is intensive investment and development in Longevity Medicine infrastructure, comprising advanced clinics, health-focused megacities, and integrative wellness centres, which are already very well developed in all countries in the Gulf region. But to truly establish leadership in the longevity economy, nations must build comprehensive and well-balanced Longevity Ecosystems that integrate multiple sectors; Longevity Medicine, Longevity Finance, the rapidly emerging mega-trend of Longevity Real Estate, and broader HealthTech infrastructure. While many regions worldwide have made progress in individual aspects of this ecosystem, no country has yet mastered the full spectrum. This is where Gulf nations have a significant edge.
Countries in the Gulf region have already laid the groundwork with their ambitious healthcare policies, smart cities, and high-end wellness resorts. But to lead in longevity, a nation needs to go beyond medicine. Longevity isn’t just about extending life, but about creating a sustainable economic and social infrastructure that supports long, healthy, and productive lifespans. We are seeing exactly this pattern emerge in the Gulf region, where a unique combination of growing infrastructure, access to capital, progressive governmental will and strong industrial activity are uniting to position all countries in the region as strong contenders in the future of Longevity Industrialization.
We see across every nation in the Gulf a good pace of development in at least one if not several of these longevity ecosystem domains. I saw much of this first-hand myself during my most recent trip to the UAE as a speaker at the 2024 Forbes Middle East Healthcare Summit and the Abu Dhabi Global Health Week and can testify to the fact that, in contrast with many other regions globally, the Gulf has all required resources and factors to solidify global leadership positions in Longevity Industrialization by the end of the decade, seeding the emergence of several Gulf Longevity Oases for the benefit of its citizens and national economies along the way.
These extremely large-scale Health-focused events in the UAE that feature Health and Longevity as a prominent topic, as well as others in Saudi Arabia are indicative of how these two Gulf nations in particular are setting the benchmark and milestone which all other Gulf states are very likely to follow in the next several years. While all Gulf countries have strong levels of development in one or more major Longevity domains, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are already developing end-to-end, comprehensive ecosystems.
Longevity Finance: The missing link in global leadership
While many countries around the world have focused on healthcare and medicine, few have explored how longevity can be commoditized, structured, and turned into a financial asset class. This is one area where Gulf nations could lead, due to their high levels of capital, drive for industrial innovation, and progressive governmental policies.
The financial commoditization of longevity is not just about investing in health startups or creating venture capital funds. Whereas longevity’s meteoric rise over the past decade has largely been driven by venture capital investors, the next wave of longevity industrialization will be fuelled by innovative financial platforms, instruments, indices and investment vehicles that allow for de-risked and more liquid exposure to the industry, enabling participation by more conservative institutional investors and unlocking trillions of otherwise locked-up capital to drive the next way of industrial growth.
In essence, we are witnessing the birth of Health as the New Wealth, and the rise of longevity as an entirely new asset class. The Gulf is in a prime position to spearhead this movement, with its robust financial infrastructure, forward-thinking leadership, and international appeal as a financial hub. By marshalling its resources, Gulf nations could unlock trillions of dollars in longevity-focused investments, positioning itself as the world’s first true Longevity Finance Hub.
Real Estate and Longevity: A symbiotic relationship
Another quite new and rapidly growing domain is Longevity Real Estate, a sector that perfectly aligns with Gulf nations’ already-established leadership in luxury real estate and wellness tourism, encompassing a wide range of health-centred Real Estate assets including resorts, hotels, multi-clinic business centres and Longevity homes and apartments. In the Gulf, we are seeing a boom in longevity resorts, medical mega-centres, and healthy lifestyle homes that combine luxury living with advanced healthcare services.
These developments cater to the growing global demand for wellness tourism, where individuals seek not only relaxation but also advanced medical treatments, biohacking, and longevity therapies during their stay. By integrating wellness real estate with Longevity Medicine and Finance, several Gulf states are creating a self-sustaining longevity ecosystem that attracts both tourists and high-net-worth investors.
Longevity isn’t just about extending life, but about creating a sustainable economic and social infrastructure that supports long, healthy, and productive lifespans.
This is not just about creating luxury havens for the wealthy; it’s about redefining how we live, work, and age. Longevity cities are designed to support long, healthy lifespans through eco-friendly infrastructure, green spaces, and cutting-edge medical services, providing a vision of the future where well-being is at the centre of urban development.
The benevolent race for supremacy: Longevity as a global goal
What’s particularly exciting about the rise of longevity ecosystems in the Gulf is the benevolent nature of the competition. Unlike traditional industries where competition can be zero-sum, the longevity economy offers a rare opportunity where every nation’s success benefits the global community. As nations vie for leadership in this field, they create a ripple effect, accelerating the global adoption of longevity-enhancing practices and technologies while benefiting their citizens and national economies in the process. By competing to develop the best longevity policies, technologies, and infrastructures, Gulf nations are essentially racing to raise the standard of global health and well-being.
The real return on investment (ROI) here is not just financial but human. As Gulf nations advance in the longevity space, they contribute to a world where longer, healthier, and more productive lives become the norm. The Gulf, with its visionary leadership and wealth of resources, stands poised to be the first territory to fully realize this potential. But it’s not just a question of “if” but of “when.”
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The Gulf stands uniquely poised to seize upon this “when” sooner than many other regional globally, with each of its constituent countries demonstrating its strengths in different ecosystem domains, and some demonstrating strong, integrated and balanced development across all of them. Whether through the development of Longevity Finance, Real Estate or HealthTech, the creation of fully integrated Longevity Oases in the Gulf will have profound implications for the global economy, healthcare, and society at large.
