Centering Asian voices in global aging research: strengthening data infrastructure in East and Southeast Asia

Over the past two decades, substantial investments in aging data infrastructure have transformed East and Southeast Asia from a region characterized by fragmented data coverage into one of the better empirically documented regions for aging research. Nationally and regionally representative longitudinal studies, expanded measures of health and well-being, and growing harmonization efforts have greatly enhanced the comparability and analytic value of Asian aging data. Yet, despite these achievements, Asian scholarship remains insufficiently centered in global aging research, with the region often serving primarily as a source of data rather than a locus of agenda-setting, theory development, and methodological innovation. This article argues that Asia now has the demographic weight, technical capacity, and institutional maturity to assume a more central role in shaping global aging research. It outlines a forward-looking agenda to strengthen data infrastructure by expanding coverage, improving measurement, enhancing visibility and governance, and investing in human capital, thereby positioning Asian voices within more equitable regional and international partnerships that can advance global aging research.