Average life expectancy is forecast to rise in many countries by 2030, breaking the 90 years barrier in come places.
ADVERTISEMENTAverage life expectancy is forecast to rise in many countries by 2030, breaking the 90 years barrier in come places. South Koreans are likely to have the highest life expectancy, followed by the French, Japanese and Spanish.
According to the latest research conducted by Imperial College London, in Europe, French women and Swiss men are predicted to have the highest life expectancies, averaging 88.6 years for French women and nearly 84 years for Swiss men.
This is how life expectancy at birth is predicted to change between 2010 and 2030m, according to
WHO</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/imperialcollege">imperialcollege study. pic.twitter.com/STrorTVxll— Chris Harris (@lyonanglais) February 22, 2017
South Korea came out top of the predictions, with the researchers predicting a girl born in South Korea in 2030 should expect to live 90.8 years, while a boy could reach 84.1 years.
But the United States is due to have one of the lowest among developed countries with men and women expected to live to 79 and 83.3 years respectively. The lower outlook is due to factors such as the lack of universal healthcare and obesity.It puts the US on the same level as middle-income countries such as Mexico and Croatia.
The rise is life expectancy means that policy planners must prepare for an aging population.
“The fact that we will continue to live longer means we need to think about strengthening the health and social care systems to support an ageing population with multiple health needs,” said Majid Ezzati, the lead researcher and a professor at Imperial College London’s school of public health which produced the report.
The study, to be published in The Lancet medical journal on Wednesday, covers 35 developed and emerging countries, including the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Australia, Poland, Mexico and the Czech Republic. South Korea’s much greater average life expectancy would be due to several factors including good childhood nutrition, low blood pressure, low levels of smoking and good access to healthcare, new medical knowledge and technologies.