What is The Average Life Expectancy By Country?

 

As we grow more advanced as a society, it should come as no surprise that the world average life span is steadily increasing across the world. Even if the gap of developed and undeveloped countries is starting to grow smaller, the life expectancy in different countries is much longer than the rest of the world on average. What are these countries doing differently? How do people in these countries increase their longevity and how can you mimic it?

What Is The Life Expectancy Today?

According to data provided by the WHO life expectancy , the global life expectancy world average has risen nearly 6 years between 2000 and 2016. The average life expectancy around the globe in 2016 was 72 years. It was 74.2 years for females and 69.8 years for males. 

Life expectancy at birth reflects the overall mortality level of a population. It averages out the mortality pattern that prevails across all age groups in a given year including children and adolescents, adults, and the elderly. The gap in life expectancy between males and females has remained the same since 2000. 

What Are the Top 10 Countries for Life Expectancy?

When you look at a life expectancy chart, you may be shocked to discover the top countries are spread out throughout the world. In fact, life expectancy by region can give you a distorted view of life expectancy throughout the world. This is because each country has different economic and social standards that will impact life expectancy. Here are the top 10 countries for life expectancy:

  • Hong Kong - 85.29 years
  • Japan - 85.03 years
  • Macao - 84.68 years
  • Switzerland - 84.25 years
  • Singapore - 84.07 years
  • Italy - 84.01 years
  • Spain - 83.99 years
  • Australia - 83.94 years
  • Channel Islands - 83.60 years
  • Iceland - 83.52 years

In each of these countries, females live longer than males on average. There are many different reasons why people in these countries tend to live longer than the rest of the world. A lot of it has to do with dietary and lifestyle choices. 

What Country Has the Highest Life Expectancy?

After seeing the life expectancy in every country, you may be curious as to what people in the top-ranking countries are doing differently than the rest of the world. For example, Hong Kong - which has the highest life expectancy in the world - is full of skyscrapers and has seven million people living on only 420 square miles of land. How do they live so much longer than the rest of the world?

First and foremost, Hong Kong has some of the best hospitals in the world with universal health care and a great public transit system which leaves every place in the city easy to visit. People in the city also live an active life, going on walks and participating in daily tai chi exercises every morning. Perhaps more importantly, most people in Hong Kong follow a Mediterranean diet, eating plenty of fish, fruit, and vegetables.  

What Country Has The Lowest Life Expectancy in 2020?

On a positive note, there are currently no countries with a life expectancy under 50, which is a notable achievement. However, there are areas in the world where life expectancy can be as much as 20 years lower than the world average. Here are the 10 countries with the lowest life expectancy:

  • Central African Republic - 54.36 years
  • Chad - 55.17 years
  • Lesotho - 55.65 years
  • Nigeria - 55.75 years
  • Sierra Leone - 55.92 years
  • Somalia - 58.34 years
  • South Sudan - 58.74 years
  • Cote d’Ivoire - 58.75 years
  • Guinea-Bissau - 59.38 years
  • Equatorial Guinea - 59.82 years

Geographical, economic, and political factors all play a major role in life expectancy. Many of the countries with low life expectancy are landlocked and don’t have access to ports or freshwater. Wars also play a major role in life expectancy. 

What Is The Average Age For a Man To Die?

Believe it or not, the life expectancy at birth for males in the United States has decreased every year since 2014. In 2017, the average American male was expected to live 76.1 years. Experts believe that a spike in death rates due to alcohol and drug poisoning, suicide, and alcoholic liver disease played a major role in the decrease of life expectancy. 

It should be noted that other developed areas of the world are seeing an uptick in life expectancy, making the United States an outlier. Wealthier Americans are more likely to live into their 70s and 80s than people in the middle class and the poor. This is because wealthier Americans have access to medical facilities and practices that most don’t. 

What Is The Average Life Expectancy for a Woman?

As we mentioned previously, women live longer than men everywhere in the world. On average, women live longer than males by six to eight years and the life expectancy for women is more than 80 years in at least 35 countries. Women’s longevity advantage becomes the most apparent in old age. 

It is believed that this can be attributed to the fact that women tend to have lower lifetime risk behaviors such as smoking and alcohol abuse. Another reason why women live longer than males has to do with inherent biological advantages. The female advantage in life expectancy is partly, but not entirely driven by higher chances of surviving childhood

How Long Does the Average Person Live After They Retire?

One of the main reasons why you should be focused on improving your longevity is so you can enjoy your retirement when the time finally comes. It’s also important to consider life expectancy when you are planning your retirement. How long you expect to live for is important for working out how much money you will need in retirement. 

However, simply looking at the averages can make it difficult to pinpoint how much longer you can expect to live. For example, if you have already made it to 77, the average life expectancy in America, you have avoided a lot of risks along the way and probably have quite a few years left. On average, those who make it to 65 can expect to live another 20 years and those who make it to 75 can expect to live another 12 years. When it comes to planning retirement, the general rule of thumb is that you should plan on your retirement lasting around 25 years, which is a conservative estimate. 

Why Is Life Expectancy Increasing?

Advancements in technology, medicine, transportation, and overall safety have led to a steady increase in the average country lifespan. Throughout life expectancy history, improvements in sanitation, housing, and education have all played major roles in the increase of life expectancy. Here is some interesting data revolving around life expectancy by generation in the United States:

  • 1865 - 35.1 years
  • 1900 - 48.19 years
  • 1925 - 58.16 years
  • 1950 - 67.23 years
  • 1975 - 71.43 years 
  • 2000 - 75.65 years
  • 2020 - 78.81 years

As you can see, life expectancy rapidly increased at the turn of the 20th century and began to steadily increase towards the end of the century. By the latter half of the twentieth century, there was little room for further reduction in early and mid-life mortality. The continuing increase is due almost entirely to a new phenomenon: the decline in late-life mortality.

How Do You Calculate Life Expectancy?

There are several life expectancy calculators available to you on the internet that will help you gauge how long you can expect to live. Keep in mind, some of these calculators simply take your age, birth date, and location into consideration. Things such as your current health, lifestyle, and family history are not taken into consideration. 

To get a proper gauge on your life expectancy, you need to take all of those factors into consideration. It isn’t a secret, those who live a sediment lifestyle full of drugs, alcohol, and junk food can expect to live dramatically less than their healthier cohorts. For example, those who smoke regularly live 10 years less than those who don’t smoke on average. 

Supplements That Can Help With Longevity

Taking care of your body with a proper diet, exercise routine, and supplement regimen can help you increase your longevity. Supplements, such as a spermidine supplement, can help you live a longer life by inducing autophagy throughout your body. Autophagy is the body’s process of replacing older, potentially damaged cells, with newer healthier ones. 

This process becomes increasingly important as you get older and your cells become more and more worn down. Supplements can be beneficial because it can be difficult to get your recommended daily intake of spermidine through your diet alone. By taking a spermidine capsule with your dinner, you ensure that you always get your daily dose of spermidine.

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  • Don Moxley - Director of Applied Science

    Don Moxley is the Director of Applied Science at Longevity Labs. Moxley draws upon his career as an athlete, a sports scientist, and an instructor to lead and educate on the science of autophagy and longevity.