Published as part of the book “Building Evidence for Active Ageing Policies“.

Authors: Amaia Bacigalupe, Yolanda Gonzalez-Rábago, Unai Martin, Sergio Murillo, Alfonso Unceta

This chapter of the book “Building Evidence for Active Ageing Policies. Active Ageing Index and its Potential” presents the experience of the calculation of the Active Ageing Index (AAI) at the subnational level in Southern Europe and discusses its role as a useful tool to support political decision-making. The index for Biscay was calculated for the period 2012–2014, following the internationally agreed methodology, but at the same time it took into account the specificities of the region and the availability of data sources. It was based on secondary data, as well as on primary data as a result of a specific survey among people 55 years and older. The Biscay’s experience shows that the AAI can be a good tool for monitoring active ageing and it could be well used as an advisory tool for policymaking at the regional level in the EU.