Introduction

When Bryson William Verdun Hayes turned 100, he celebrated by jumping out of a plane. A year later, the British World War II veteran became the oldest tandem skydiver on record after completing a jump with his family.

The prospect of being alive for longer has always fascinated us. But adding more years to our life is only half the story. What we really want is the chance to enjoy more healthy, active years, however we might spend them – from skydiving to starting a business or seeing more of our grandchildren – or great grandchildren.

We could be closer to this reality than many people realise. Scientists are working on ways to re-engineer our biology, accelerated by the emergence of deep learning in clinical trial research to dramatically improve drug development. As a result, within a couple of decades, we could be living to 110 or 120.

“All of the life expectancy improvements in the last 100 years, where human life expectancy has more or less doubled, have occurred as a result of environmental factors, improvements in sanitation, less infant mortality, fewer accidents at work and antibiotics,” says Jim Mellon, investor, entrepreneur and co-author of Juvenescence – Investing in the Age of Longevity.

“There has been no interference with fundamental biology that has caused an increase in longevity…Now we are able to fundamentally manipulate biology, and that’s going to feed into life expectancies very quickly.”

The promise of living to 100 or beyond could have a profound impact on people around the world. The traditional three-stage life – learning in childhood and adolescence, working throughout our adulthood and spending our older years in retirement – could be redefined by the next generation, if living to 110 or 120 becomes more common.

In this report, Barclays Private Bank has brought together viewpoints from specialist and leading experts in longevity research and biotechnology, work, housing and the economy. These industry experts tell us about the science behind longer life, and consider some of the implications for the economy, your family and your investments.