India’s senior living sector needs to shift from real estate to integrated care and operations

Colliers India, in association with Primus Senior Living, has released The Future of Ageing and Longevity Economy in India, 2026, a report examining the structural shift facing India’s senior living sector.

The report states that India’s longevity economy will not be defined by the volume of age-specific housing alone. It will be shaped by the operating system around the resident, including healthcare access, workforce capability, transparent contracts, appropriate monetisation, measurable service standards and sustained trust.

By connecting demographic evidence with real estate strategy, operating economics, healthcare delivery and technology adoption, Colliers provides a framework for stakeholders to evaluate where to participate, how to underwrite risk and what must change for the sector to scale responsibly.

The report calls on policymakers to recognise senior living as a specialised asset class distinct from conventional housing, establish minimum operating and disclosure standards, provide flexibility for land-use conversion and consider targeted financial incentives, including linkages with life-insurance frameworks.

For investors, the report recommends underwriting the operating platform and not only the underlying real estate. This includes evaluating occupancy stability, resident retention, service quality, staffing strategy, healthcare partnerships and governance.

Developers are advised to design around services and resident experience from inception and select micro-markets based on tertiary healthcare access, workforce availability, social infrastructure and catchment depth. Operators are expected to build scalable service-delivery systems with transparent fee structures, clear care categories and measurable resident outcomes.

For healthcare providers, the report recommends a shift from stand-alone clinical tie-ups to integrated care pathways that support emergency response and ageing in place. It also calls on health-tech and age-tech platforms to focus on technology that makes human care more scalable, measurable and transparent, stating that technology should enable care and not attempt to replace it.

The report states that senior living is not a build-and-sell product but an operating business in which long-term value is shaped by occupancy stability, service quality, resident confidence and brand trust. It adds that demand activation requires the sector to reposition senior living as an enabler of independence, dignity and purposeful living for seniors, while giving families confidence in healthcare access, governance and financial transparency.

“India’s senior living story is moving from necessity to aspiration. Today’s seniors and their families are looking beyond just a home, they want community, dignity and an active, purposeful life. This report validates what we’ve seen on ground: trust and operational excellence, not real estate alone, are what will define the winners in this sector over the next decade,” said Adarsh Narahari, Founder & Managing Director, Primus Senior Living.

The findings come as India’s population aged 60 years and above is projected to rise over the coming decades. The report highlights that the opportunity for senior living extends beyond creating age-specific housing. The next phase of the sector will require an integrated ecosystem combining residential living, healthcare access, hospitality, wellness, nutrition, recreation, community engagement and care services.

“Senior living in India is at an inflection point similar to what organised retail or co-living saw a decade ago. For investors and developers, the opportunity is significant, but it demands a fundamentally different underwriting approach — one that prioritises micro-market readiness, operating capability and long-term trust over land economics and development margins,” said Digbijay Das, Senior Director, Valuation & Advisory Services, Colliers India.

The report states that as India stands at the threshold of one of the world’s largest demographic shifts, the sector’s growth will depend on building trust alongside senior living capacity. The full report is available on request to media, investors and industry stakeholders.