A new study published in The Lancet is reporting that average life expectancy will increase globally by 2030, both at birth and at the age of 65. Thanks to improvements in maternal and child health and improved adult health the average for women at birth will exceed 85 years in many countries, with South Korea projected to lead the way with a life expectancy of 90.8 years.
In 2015, the global average was 71.4 years so this is good news.
From the article:
“Among predictions for high-income countries, the lowest life expectancy at birth is likely to be in the US, with an average of 83.3 years for women and 79.5 years for men — similar to Mexico and Croatia.
In Europe, French women and Swiss women are predicted to have the highest life expectancy, with averages of 88.6 and 84 years respectively.”
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The study believes that the lack of universal health care might play a role, but so does obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, homicides and road accidents. Of all countries studied, the lowest life expectancy projections were for women in Macedonia and men in Serbia.
Majid Ezzati, professor of global environmental health at Imperial College London and the study’s lead, believes that South Korea has increased their overall lifespan through “investment in childhood nutrition, education and technology as well as low blood pressure, low levels of smoking and good access to health care.”
Let’s hope that these new findings will encourage lawmakers and the CDC to LEARN from these healthier countries and make a change. Currently, the US spends more of its budget on healthcare than any other country in the world and yet, we are among the most unhealthy.
Source: CNN
