Call to collaborate on data science for older people across Europe: an EuGMS Big Data Special Interest Group position paper

Worldwide, the population is living longer and growing older, with most people now living to the age of 60 years and older [ 1 ]. By 2100, the number of people living in Europe over the age of 65 years will have increased to one-third of the population [ 2 ]. Population ageing brings new challenges for health and social care, with a need to improve the efficiency and sustainability of care delivery, in addition to minimising inequalities within and between countries. Approximately, 51% over the age of 60 years live with two or more long-term conditions (multimorbidity) [ 3 ]. The concept of healthy ageing—maximising independence at all stages of later life—is more important than ever to ensure that people live well into older age [ 4 , 5 ].