Inside Canada’s Landmark Study on Aging

50,000 people. One big question. How do we age well?

STARTER STATS

• The proportion of Canadians aged 65+ is expected to grow from 18.9% in 2024 to 24% by the end of the 2030s.

• Globally, the proportion of people over 65 was 10.3% in 2024, and is expected to rise to 20.7% by 2074.

---

Canada’s population is rapidly aging, and researchers from different disciplines are now combining forces to understand what that will mean for public health, independence, and quality of life. To meet this mounting challenge, scientists launched the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a decades-long national project that follows the lives of tens of thousands of people.

The CLSA is now one of the largest and most comprehensive aging studies in the world. Since 2011, more than 50,000 participants aged 45 to 85 have been contributing to the CLSA through regular interviews, medical assessments, and biological sampling.

The study, led by teams at McMaster University, McGill University, and Dalhousie University, explores everything from physical strength and cognitive function to social networks and neighbourhood safety — all to map how aging unfolds across different lifestyles and environments.

“I think it's a fascinating time to integrate science across diverse fields... to bring biological sciences, population sciences and social sciences into focus to understand disease, disability and aging from an interdisciplinary lens. The CLSA has made that possible. That kind of integration wasn’t happening in this country before.”

— Dr. Parminder Raina, McMaster University

The CLSA data has powered hundreds of research projects and shaped national health policy. Researchers say the next challenge is to broaden the study to better reflect Canada’s growing diversity.

Read more →