May 1 (Reuters) - Healthcare-centric real estate investment trust (REIT) Ventas raised its annual funds from operations (FFO) guidance on Wednesday, banking on continued strength for its assisted living and senior housing properties to drive performance.

With the population in the U.S. aging at a rapid pace, the demand for housing and healthcare assets for seniors has been steadily climbing.

Ventas owns and leases senior housing and healthcare properties across the United States and the United Kingdom, including outpatient medical buildings and research centers.

The Chicago-based REIT's normalized first-quarter FFO, a key performance measure for REITs, were 78 cents per share, above analysts' average estimate of 74 cents per share, as per LSEG data.

The REIT now sees 2024 normalized FFO in the range of $3.10 to $3.18 per share, raised at mid-point from its previous view of $3.07 to $3.18 per share. The analysts average estimates for annual FFO was $3.15 per share, according to LSEG data.

Same store net operating income from its senior housing rose 15% in the quarter ended March 31. (Reporting by Pratik Jain and Unnamalai L in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)