The business of living longer (including health tech, biotech, wellness and financial planning) is on track to become an $8 trillion market by 2030, UBS analysts predict
We can’t turn back the hands of time (at least not yet), and in the age of Bryan Johnson, biohacking, GLP-1s and the growing list of anti-aging experiments, getting older is still inevitable, but it’s beginning to look less like decline and more like opportunity.
Just ask Roy Drinkard, a 105-year-old Marine veteran who was honored this week as the nation’s oldest living Marine, a reminder that longevity isn’t some far-off idea, but proof of what’s possible.
And according to UBS, it’s also becoming one of the biggest business stories of our lifetime, one that will likely shape what we see in 2026 and beyond.
In its “Thought of the Week” earlier this fall, the bank calls longevity one of the most powerful investment themes of the next decade. Not just because people are living longer, but because the business of living longer (health tech, biotech, wellness and financial planning) is on track to become an $8 trillion global economy by 2030.
Aside from simply living longer, UBS has mapped out who stands to win from it. Here’s the breakdown:
Healthcare Innovators
UBS ranks longevity among its top “transformational innovation opportunities,” forecasting above-average equity returns over the coming decade.
As life expectancy rises, the economics of aging are poised to accelerate, driven by people staying healthier, working later into life and spending more years as active consumers. The biggest near-term winners? Healthcare innovators.
UBS estimates the global healthcare market could reach $2.2 trillion by 2030, fueled by breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease and cancer care. The market for metabolic disorders and treatments (like GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic) is expanding even faster, potentially hitting $200 billion in annual sales.
Research has also hinted that weight loss drugs may play an even bigger role in disease prevention. A 2024 JAMA Network Open study of more than 86,000 adults with obesity found that GLP-1 users had a 17% lower overall cancer risk compared with nonusers, including lower rates of endometrial and ovarian cancers, though it stopped short of proving causation. Researchers say the drugs may also help treat Alzheimer’s disease, with studies currently underway.
The Wellness & Lifestyle Sector
Longevity doesn’t stop at medicine and treatments; it extends to everything that helps people live fully, such as nutrition, anti-aging skincare, wellness travel and fitness, all of which are becoming extensions of preventive care.
UBS groups them under the longevity economy, businesses targeting consumers who are likely to live longer. Beauty giants are already getting in on the act. L’Oréal and Kering recently announced a $4.7 billion joint venture to explore what they call the intersection of luxury, wellness and longevity.
The fitness world is leaning in, too. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) just launched an Alzheimer’s Fitness Specialist Program to train professionals in using movement and cognitive drills to help prevent and manage dementia.
Financial & Real Estate Players
Beyond creams, protein shakes and longevity retreats, UBS points out that living longer will also drive shifts in financial services, retirement planning and real estate built around wellness and accessibility.
You can already see it in motion. On Long Island, Chicago-based Ventas, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, recently acquired six senior housing properties for more than $600 million. The properties, built between 2016 and 2022, feature amenities such as swimming pools, fitness centers and cinemas. One of the selling firms noted that the Long Island communities have shown “strong operating performance” and are “supported by the long-term growth of aging populations.”
One senior living company, The Bristal, is also pushing the category forward. Earlier this month, the company opened its first BrainFit Gym at its York Avenue property in Manhattan. The program combines physical activity with brain training to help slow cognitive decline and promote more stable brain function. The Bristal plans to expand BrainFit across all 26 of its communities.
The trend isn’t limited to senior living. Luxury fitness and wellness operator Life Time just broke ground on its latest Life Time Living project in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The upcoming 11-story residential community is situated next to its 92,000-square-foot club. Every one of the 327 residences will include a Signature Life Time membership, linking residents to fitness, spa, aquatics, pickleball and social amenities, plus a 1.5-acre rooftop beach resort.
Why Investors Should Remain Patient
The story isn’t all smooth growth curves. Political pressure in the U.S. to lower drug prices and ongoing tariff chatter have made investors skittish.
Still, UBS notes that tariffs are likely to have “only a marginal impact on pharmaceutical companies,” since U.S. inventories were already stocked before they were introduced, and where imports are still needed, the tariffs “affect only a small part of actual sales.”
It’s worth noting that UBS published its analysis before the recent Medicare expansion for GLP-1 medications, hailed by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) as a milestone in tackling obesity. HFA is now urging policymakers to take the next step by funding exercise programs for older adults, calling movement “essential medicine” for healthy aging.
