Objective <p>The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is a promising tool for predicting nutrition-related complications in older adults. This study aimed to explore the association between GNRI and asthma in individuals aged 60 and above.</p> Methods <p>A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Propensity score matching was used to manage observational data to minimize clinical data bias and confounding variables. Weighted logistic regression with subgroup and sensitivity analyses was used to analyze the potential relationship between GNRI and asthma in elderly individuals aged 60 and above.</p> Results <p>The study population consisted of individuals aged 60 and above. After adjusting for race, education, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, the odds ratio (OR) for asthma in relation to the GNRI was 1.021 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.016–1.026, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001), indicating that a lower GNRI is associated with a higher risk of asthma in elderly individuals.The GNRI quartile analysis revealed a significant upward trend (Q4 versus Q1, OR: 1.666, 95% CI: 1.41–1.972, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). The significance of the selected factors was assessed using the XGBoost machine learning model, which demonstrated that the GNRI was one of the top five variables influencing the risk of asthma in elderly individuals. Subgroup analysis confirmed the association between GNRI and factors such as gender, race, smoking, alcohol consumption, education level, poverty income ratio, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Furthermore, GNRI levels were associated with increased eosinophils, basophils, white blood cells, red blood cells, neutrophils, monocytes, and albumin levels.</p> Conclusion <p>This study demonstrates that GNRI levels are significantly associated with asthma in the elderly.</p>