Life expectancy is increasing worldwide. But people are spending more and more years with health problems – especially women. Many problems could be avoided.
July 25, 2026, 07:33July 25, 2026, 07:33
Life expectancy is increasing worldwide – but people are also spending more and more time in poor health at the end of their lives. This particularly affects wealthy countries, as an international research team writes in the journal “The Lancet Public Health” after evaluating global data for the period from 1990 to 2023.
According to the study, people spent an average of 8.8 years in poor health in 1990, which corresponded to 13.6 percent of their lifetime. In 2023 there were almost two years more: 10.7 years – and 14.5 percent of their lives.
In the study, the team led by Christopher Murray from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle evaluated data from 204 countries and regions on life expectancy – and also on life in good health. Accordingly, the expected lifespan of those people born in 1990 is on average 64.6 years. In 2023 it will be 73.8 years – almost 10 years more. The lifespan in good health increased during this period from 55.9 to 63.1 years – i.e. by 7.2 years.
The gap is increasing
“Progress in healthy aging should not only be measured by lifespan, but by healthspan,” study leader Murray is quoted as saying in a statement from his institute.
The disease gap – the gap between lifespan and healthspan – was particularly large in those countries where people lived for a long time. In the USA it was 14 years, in Australia 13.9 years and in Canada 13.7 years. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, it was only 9 years.
Many diseases could be prevented
For women worldwide, this gap averaged 12.1 years in 2023 and 9.3 years for men. “Women live longer than men almost everywhere in the world, but they spend more of those extra years in poor health,” says co-author Catherine Bisignano.
Problems with the musculoskeletal system, especially pain in the lower back, as well as mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders had a particularly strong influence. Many of these diseases are preventable, the team writes, citing high blood sugar levels, obesity, malnutrition and smoking. (sda/dpa/jul)
Contact point for eating disorders
If you are afraid of slipping into an eating disorder, are suffering from an eating disorder, or suspect that someone close to you is suffering from an eating disorder, then this is it Swiss Society for Eating Disorders (SGES) a good first point of contact to find out about help offers in your canton.