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| (Source: Health & Life) |
Switzerland is at the top (83.9 years) and Latvia is at the bottom (73.1 years). On average, women live longer than men. The gender gap is 5.4 years: women (83 years) compared to men (77.6 years).
According to the OECD, American life expectancy has plummeted to its lowest level in nearly 30 years. With an average life expectancy of 76.4 years, the United States is eclipsed by most other developed countries.
The World Bank (WB) estimates that the US recorded such a lower life expectancy in 1996, 27 years ago.
Of the 48 countries surveyed, the United States ranked 34th. In 2003, it ranked 10th. That change puts the country in the top six countries with the largest decline in life expectancy.
Life expectancy in OECD and partner countries has fallen by 0.7 years due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is expected to start rising again in 2022. However, the report notes that gains started to slow even before the pandemic, especially for women.
According to the NY Post , heart disease (the leading cause of death in Americans), stroke, obesity, and diabetes (the number of cases of which is expected to double by 2050) are the major diseases affecting the health of people around the world.
Air pollution, smoking and alcohol consumption are considered the leading risk factors hindering increased life expectancy.
“The United States may be one of the richest countries in the world and certainly spends more on health care than any other country,” said Dr. Steven Woolf, “but it is sicker and has lower life expectancy than people in dozens of countries.” This assessment is similar to the OECD report.
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