Scientists have found that life expectancy worldwide could increase by 5 years between 2022 and 2050.
Life expectancy for women is projected to increase from 76.2 to 80.5 years and for men from 71.1 to 76 years. Gender-neutral estimates suggest an increase of 4.5 years, from 73.6 to 78.1 years.
The new research is based on findings from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study, which examined risk factors in 204 countries. It suggests that the highest increases will be observed where life expectancy is lowest. This means that the life expectancy gap between countries will narrow.
Dr. Chris Murray, one of the authors of the study published in The Lancet, said: “In addition to the overall increase in life expectancy, we found that inequality in life expectancy will decrease across geographies. This suggests that health inequalities between the highest and lowest income regions persist, but the gap is closing. The biggest increase is expected in Sub-Saharan Africa
Scientists say this global increase is largely due to public health practices to prevent and reduce the impact of cardiovascular disease, COVID-19 and various infectious diseases. This is a promising development towards reducing health inequalities and taking an important step towards a healthier world.
