Life expectancy around the world: growth slowing in US, Spain rising rapidly

Life expectancy around the world is going up. But why are some countries moving much faster than others?

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The search for the key to living a long life has been one of humanity’s great quests. The answer could lie in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa south of the country’s main islands, where the average life expectancy of 89 is the longest in the world.

The secret for the Okinawans? The most common theory is a low-fat, low-salt diet that is high in vegetables and fish.

But around the world, as the average lifespan grows, another key factor is emerging: money.

Across the water from Japan, South Korea’s life expectancy a century ago was just 23. Today, its GDP per person has risen to more than 20 times what it was in 1960. As fortunes have grown, so has the longevity of its residents. In a study of the world’s 35 richest countries, it is now predicted a South Korean woman born in 2030 would likely live past her 90th birthday.

When it comes to crystal balling the future, the same study expects Spain to topple Japan’s long-held position at the top, with their taxpayer funded health care system and diet listed as reasons for its forecast improvement.

The same predictions are not great for the USA, which is expected to drop from 34th in the world in the list in 2016, to 64th in 2030. Despite estimates life expectancy will increase by 1.1 years over that time, it is below the predicted global average of 4.4 years thanks to an increase in accidental drug overdoses in 2016, as well as the rise of obesity in the country.

At the other end of the scale, data compiled by the World Health Organization currently places five African nations in the lowest places for life expectancy. Lesotho (52.9), Central African Republic (53), Sierra Leone (53.1), Chad (54.3), and Ivory Coast (54.6) rank last.

However, across the African continent as a whole, the data tells a different story.

Life expectancy across the region has risen substantially in the last century thanks to contributions like improved child survival rates, and combatting diseases like HIV. The biggest surge has happened in recent years, where in 2000 the life expectancy was 50.8 years old before jumping to 61.2 in 2016.

As for Australia, it ranks equal fourth in the world, behind Japan (84.2), Switzerland (83.3), and Spain (83.1), but tied with France and Singapore at 82.9 years.

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