What is the silver economy, or the seniors’ economy?
Last updated: 27 June 2025
People aged 60 and over are expected to number 24 million in France by 2060. As the population ages, more and more products and services are being designed for older people. The seniors’ economy could generate a turnover of over 130 billion euros by 2030. What does this sector cover? Who is it for? Here is an overview of the “silver economy”.
What is the silver economy?
Improving the quality of life of older people, preserving their independence for as long as possible, even extending their life expectancy: these are the main goals of the “silver economy”. Behind the term, where “silver” refers to greying hair, lies the whole range of economic and industrial activities that benefit seniors (aged 60 and over).
The sectors of the silver economy
Many sectors are affected by this trend and can offer products suited to older people, notably:
health: home care, telemedicine, nutrition, connected health devices, and so on,
safety and independence: remote assistance, detectors, and so on,
housing: adapted homes, home automation, and so on,
services: personal services, home help, welfare cover, and so on,
leisure: tourism, sport, games, and so on,
communication: mobile phones, tablets, the internet, and so on,
transport: mobility aids, adapted transport, and so on.
A sector backed by the State
The French Ministry of the Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (now the Ministry of Labour, Health and Solidarity) signed a sector agreement for the silver economy in 2013. The aim: to organise this sector into a genuine industrial branch and to create a national and regional ecosystem that fosters a large market and supports the growth of French industry.
In November 2023, marking the sector’s tenth anniversary, the French government announced a new mission aimed at accelerating the modernisation of the older-age sector and better supporting the various players involved. This mission is the starting point of a New Deal within the silver economy.