The longevity dividend: A systems-thinking framework for harnessing the silver economy in low- and middle-income...

Population ageing is accelerating in low- and middle-income countries, where accumulated life-course inequalities, labour informality, and limited social protection shape conditions in later life. Conventional policy narratives have framed older adults as fiscal burdens, overlooking the productive and social value embedded in extended healthy life years and the structural determinants that constrain participation. This narrative review introduces the 'longevity dividend', a systems-thinking conceptual framework that positions functional ability across the life course as the central objective of ageing policy in low- and middle-income countries. Drawing on comparative policy experiences from Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Sri Lanka, and synthesising evidence from the literature on global health, health systems, and development, we examine how legislative, economic, health and social care, educational, and governance reforms interact to influence functional capacity, equity, and economic participation at older ages. The framework identifies five interconnected policy pillars - legislative and regulatory reforms, financial and economic inclusion, health and social infrastructure, educational and capacity building, and monitoring, surveillance and data systems - as the structural enablers of the longevity dividend. We further delineate cross-cutting opportunities and persistent challenges, including gender-based inequities, digital exclusion, and weak longitudinal data systems. We argue that reframing population ageing as a policy investment in functional capacity and social participation, rather than a demographic liability, provides a coherent foundation for integrating ageing policy within broader development and labour agendas in low- and middle-income countries. A, multisectoral approach oriented to the life course is essential for designing ageing policies that are equitable, sustainable, and institutionally resilient.