01 · The Central Challenge

Living longer does not automatically
mean living healthier.

Healthy Longevity Gap
-
Years lived in less than full health

Life expectancy measures how long people live. HALE estimates how many of those years are lived in good health.

Visualization: This paired bar chart compares total life expectancy at birth against healthy life expectancy (HALE). The invisible space between the two bars represents the "Healthy Longevity Gap"—the average number of years a person lives with illness or disability.
02 · The Ageing Context

More people are
reaching older ages

Visualization: This area chart tracks the percentage of the total population aged 65 and older over time, illustrating the rapid pace of global demographic ageing.

Ageing requires systems to optimise for prevention, functional ability, and long-term support, rather than just acute care.

03 · Healthcare Resources

How much are health
systems spending?

Total Exp. (PPP)
-
Per capita
Exp. % of GDP
-
Total GDP share
Govt. Share
-
% of total exp.
Out-of-Pocket
-
% of total exp.
Current Health Expenditure Trend (PPP)
Visualization: This line chart plots the historical trend of total current health expenditure per capita, standardized to Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) international dollars to allow cross-regional comparison.
04 · Age-Specific Model

What does ageing mean
for expenditure per person?

Visualization: Because health systems rarely report exact spending by age, this bar chart uses a demographic model to estimate how per-capita spending differs between adults 65+ and those under 65. The values adjust based on your chosen scenario assumption.
05 · Exploratory Relationship

Does higher expenditure
correspond with healthier years?

Visualization: This scatter plot explores the cross-sectional correlation between health expenditure per capita (X-axis) and Healthy Life Expectancy (Y-axis) across all regions. The size of the bubble represents the proportion of the population aged 65+. Note: Association does not imply causation.
06 · The Imperative

What should future health systems optimise for?

The objective is to increase the number of years people can live in good health, with functional independence and dignity.

Create Health
Protect Health
Reach People
See Earlier
Withstand Shocks
Measure What Matters

Data Sources & Scenario Definitions

Official Data Sources

The observed metrics presented in this dashboard are compiled from gold-standard international datasets:

  • Expenditure Data: Sourced from the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED).
  • Demographics: Sourced from the UN World Population Prospects and World Bank DataBank.
  • Life Expectancy & HALE: Sourced from WHO Global Health Observatory data.

What is a "Scenario"?

Because national datasets rarely separate spending by exact age groups, older-age expenditure must be estimated. The Scenario dropdown allows you to change the underlying mathematical assumption (the age-expenditure ratio) used in the model:

  • Base Scenario: Uses empirically derived ratios (e.g., assuming 65+ individuals consume ~3.4x more resources in high-income nations, and ~1.35x in lower-income nations).
  • Low Scenario: Assumes a flatter spending curve, meaning healthcare consumption is more evenly distributed across all ages.
  • High Scenario: Assumes a steeper spending curve, meaning healthcare consumption is intensely concentrated in the 65+ demographic.