Top 10 Countries With the Highest Life Expectancy

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

[SeekAndFind]

Want to live to a ripe old age? By far the most important factor in life expectancy is wealth; richer people tend to eat healthfully and smoke and drink less. They also have access to the best health care. Affluent countries also tend to have low rates of violent crime and civil unrest. The following countries have the highest average life expectancies in the world. In case you're wondering, the United States, with an average life expectancy of 77.85, ranks 48th.

Get started now and see the list of countries with the highest life expectancy.

1. Andorra: 83.51 Years

Located between France and Spain, Andorra was one of Europe's poorest countries until it became a popular tourist destination after World War II. Its 71,000 inhabitants now enjoy all the benefits of a thriving economy, which include excellent nutrition and public health care facilities.

2. Macau: 82.19 Years

This island in the South China Sea is reaping the rewards of a booming economy. The money has come from visitors, particularly from the Chinese mainland, coming to take advantage of a recently liberalized gaming industry. Gambling profits now provide about 70 percent of the country's income, and the government uses the money to invest heavily in public health care.

3. San Marino: 81.71 Years (tied)

This enclave in central Italy is the third smallest state in Europe (after Vatican City and Monaco), as well as the world's oldest republic. Here, the long life expectancy is due to prosperity and the fact that the majority of the population is involved in office-based work rather than heavy industry and labor, which shorten life spans.

4. Singapore: 81.71 Years (tied)

­Aside from prosperity, one factor in Singapore's long average life expectancy is that in the early 1980s, the government recognized that it had an aging population, with the average age of its citizens increasing steadily. The government planned accordingly, and now Singapore has excellent health care facilities for the elderly.

5. Hong Kong: 81.59 Years

People in Hong Kong generally eat a healthful and balanced diet, based around rice, vegetables and tofu, with only small amounts of meat. This means that obesity rates are low, as are the rates for most dietary-based cancers and heart disease.

6. Japan: 81.25 Years

Japan has one of the lowest adult obesity rates in the industrialized world, at only 3 percent. As in Hong Kong, this is mainly due to a healthful diet based around vegetables, fish, rice and noodles. Many Japanese people also stop eating when they feel about 80 percent full, rather than continuing until they can't manage another mouthful. The Japanese are also much less reliant on cars than people in Western countries, preferring to walk whenever possible, and therefore get plenty of exercise.

7. Sweden: 80.51 Years (tied)

­Although an economic downturn in the late 1990s did some damage to Sweden's world-renowned welfare and public health systems, they are still among the best in the world. Also, Sweden has the lowest rate of smokers in the developed world -- about 17 percent -- so tobacco-related deaths are half the European average.

8. Switzerland: 80.51 (tied)

­Aside from a stable economy with all of the usual factors that increase longevity, such as a healthful diet and high standard of health care, Switzerland's much-vaunted neutrality means that its inhabitants are highly unlikely to die in an armed conflict.

9. Australia: 80.50 Years

­All the usual factors relating to prosperity apply here, but the life expectancy of indigenous Australians is about 20 years less than that of white Aussies, due to higher rates of just about every factor that shortens life, including smoking, obesity and poverty. Incidentally, research suggests that Australia's life expectancy may start falling as obesity reaches epidemic proportions in the land down under

10. Guernsey: 80.42 Years

The island of Guernsey, located in the English Channel, is a British Crown dependency, but it's not part of the U.K. The reason for its high life expectancy is simple: It's extremely wealthy. Very low taxes make Guernsey a popular destination for tax exiles who can afford the very best in nutrition and medical care. More than half of the island's income comes from financial services -- which means well-paid desk jobs -- with very few people working in heavy industry.

[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!