Active Ageing Index

It measures the extent to which older people realize their potential for active, healthy, and independent living and for contributing to the economy and society. It does this through four domains: employment, participation in society, independent and secure living, and capacity and the enabling environment. The first three capture observed outcomes of active ageing, while the fourth captures the underlying conditions that make it possible. The index is explicitly about untapped potential at the level of countries and populations, not about diagnosing individuals.

The 22 indicators are first normalized to a common 0-to-100 scale, oriented so that higher always means more active ageing. They are then aggregated within each of the four domains to form domain scores, and the domain scores are combined using explicit, expert-assigned weights into the overall index. Because the weights are normative rather than statistically estimated, the methodology documents them transparently and analysts often test how sensitive the ranking is to alternative weighting choices. The result is one headline figure plus interpretable domain scores.

The AAI shares the positive, multidimensional spirit of frameworks like the Rowe-Kahn successful ageing model and the WHO healthy ageing agenda, but it operates at a different level. Where successful ageing classifies individuals against fixed criteria, the AAI is a population- and country-level composite designed for benchmarking and policy. It also gives more explicit weight to participation, security, and the enabling environment. The frameworks are complementary: individual-level definitions explain who ages well, while the AAI gauges how far societies enable active ageing across the older population.