Top 10 Countries With the Highest Life Expectancy

How Stuff Works ^ | June 1, 2009 | Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

These are often stats taken out of context or under selected criteria to make the US health care system look bad.

When you factor out things like homicide and numbers of people performing dangerous labor, America ranks very high in life expectancy.

Sally Pipes covers these types of stats in “Top 10 Myths of American Health Care.”

[Oztrich Boy]

Being Chinese seems to help.

[hflynn]

These are often stats taken out of context or under selected criteria to make the US health care system look bad.

Your argument won"t hold water if Obama Care becomes a reality.

[denydenydeny]

How many of these countries absorb millions in penniless, unscreened-for-illness immigrants a year?

This isn’t apples and oranges, this is apples and Neptune.

In fact, if you want common correlating factors between all of these countries, it isn’t “health care” or diet, it’s a) wealth and b) stable populations with little or no immigration except for Sweden.

[mamelukesabre]

All very small countries with plenty of money.

[MaxMax]

Grain of salt.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

He'll be using the tricks to convince that we need him to “fix” our medical system...so that we can compete with third-world countries (because we are in a crisis here, doncha know).

[Pining_4_TX]

Yes, if you take out homicides and accidents, the US jumps to the top. These statistics are all bogus anyway. It’s like those silly reports that eating this or that, or not eating it, will affect your health. They ask people to remember what they ate for a whole year! How many people can accurately recall what they ate last week. It’s all silly and it’s a justification for interfering in our lives.

[buzzer]

Yes ! The US is number one in life time span, if you take out all the ugly reasons for any kind of death. :-)

[Last Dakotan]

All very small countries with plenty of money.

Kind of like North Dakota.

[Iwentsouth]

Yes!!

Oh wait..what happens if all the awful reasons people die are taken from the other countries?

[nightlight7]

Also, Sweden has the lowest rate of smokers in the developed world -- about 17 percent -- so tobacco-related deaths are half the European average.

For Sweden #7 and Australia #9 they cite low smoking rates to explain longevity. Interestingly, they don't mention smoking for the higher longevity countries, e.g. #1 Andorra (44 % of men smoke, 40% of youth 18-24), or #6 Japan (59% of men smoke). At individual level, the oldest man and the oldest woman on record were smokers.

Madamme Jeanne Calment lived 122 years 164 days (she smoked since her teens).

Shigechiyo Izumi 120 years and 237 days. They were the only two humans who lived beyond 120 years of age.

The oldest human who completed a full marathon (at age 101) smoked since his teens and had few cigarettes through the race as well.

.

These are not one-off kind of oddities, since in animal experiments, smoking animals (even at 5 pack/day equivalent exposure) live longer (by ~20%) than non-smoking animals. They also remain thinner, healthier and sharper throughout. Tobacco is an ancient medicinal plant and like all medicinal substances, its use will statistically correlate with various health problems (e.g. people who use statins or blood pressure medications will have more heart attacks later than people who don't use them).

(see discussion & refs in this thread). In short, smoking is good for you (discussed also in thread1, thread2, thread3).

[RoadTest]

Better than how long I live is where I spend the rest of eternity.

Most of the rich live longer and then live in Hell forever.

[Clemenza]

Most of the rich live longer and then live in Hell forever.

Spoken like one who, like most of the world, has no money. ;)

[RoadTest]

“Most of the rich live longer and then live in Hell forever.
Spoken like one who, like most of the world, has no money. ;)”

Amazingly, God has always provided me with more then enough money. And don’t forget the part where I walk on solid gold streets with no potholes.

[GOPJ]

How many of these countries absorb millions in penniless, unscreened-for-illness immigrants a year? This isn’t apples and oranges, this is apples and Neptune.

Careful. The "PC" police don't like it when people tell the truth.

:)

[Clemenza]

BTW: You are speaking to someone who is not anti-God, but just has difficulty believing in anything that can’t be demonstrably proven other than on faith alone (contrary to what Aquinas and Descartes).

[Moonman62]

Your post is irresponsible.

[RandallFlagg]

Great post!