South Korea Will Have the Highest Life Expectancy by 2030, Researchers Say

Even though the life expectancy is predicted to increase by 2030, World Health Organization officials believe humans can do even better to exceed the 90-years marker.

According to a recent study, health experts are confident that the life expectancy at both birth and the age of 65 will drastically improve by 2030. Researchers associate the results with improved adult and child health, as well as maternal care.

Hence, in many countries, the average for women at birth will most likely exceed 85 years. However, women living in South Korea are expected to live past the 90.8-years marker, say researchers. In contrast, according to a 2015 World Health Organization survey, the average life expectancy at birth was 71.4 years.

Health experts believe the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles among men, including higher rates of alcohol abuse and smoking, account for the gap in life expectancy between males and females. Life expectancy rates among men born in South Korea in 2030 is predicted to increase to 84.1 years, note the researchers in their study, published Tuesday, February 21^st, in the journal Lancet. Fortunately, the aforementioned gap between sexes will shrink as lifestyles are becoming increasingly similar.

Professor Ezzati also highlighted that most experts believed the average life expectancy will never exceed the 90-years marker. At the same time, however, he says that even though there is a limit to longevity, humans are nowhere near it, suggesting the population should take better care of their overall health in an effort to live even past the predicted marker.

For their study, the team of researchers analyzed data on longevity patterns and mortality rates pulled from 35 industrialized nations, including countries with an advanced economy, as well as poorer regions of the globe. According to the researchers, the lowest life expectancy at birth is most likely to be in the U.S. by 2030, with an average of 79.5 years for men and 83.3 years for women, the same as is predicted for Croatia and Mexico. In comparison, European women from France and Switzerland are predicted to have the highest life expectancy rates, with averages of 88.6 and 84 years respectively.

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Alan O’Leary

Alan is a happily-married, New York-based writer with over 5 years of experience in journalism. He mainly focuses on subjects such as international politics, arts culture, social media and national news.