Over the past couple of centuries, our life expectancy has skyrocketed. Are you aware of what’s being done today to increase our lifespan even more?
The average life expectancy around the world is, as of 2018, around 72 years for women and 68 years for men. Nevertheless, this number varies a lot between countries, even though women still tend to outlive men in most countries. For example, Japan has been leading the way when it comes to life expectancy, with 85.7 years. Other countries are getting better though, and Spain is expected to surpass Japan with 85.8 years by 2040. Following closely are Singapore, France, Australia, Israel, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal.
On the other end of the spectrum countries like Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Central African Republic show a life expectancy of around 50 years old.
Technology, health care, and industrialization play a big role in the lifespan of people. With the discovery of antibiotics and healthcare access becoming more available, more and more people are able to reach their golden years. In fact, according to a report by the UN, in 2012 around 300,000 people existed over the age of 100. These numbers are estimated to rise to over 3 million by 2050!
Now that vaccines and surgeries are “normal” for around half of the world’s population, technology’s role in lifespan will take the form of robotics, Artificial intelligence, and data science. If you want to know more about the research that will help us live forever (or whatever number comes close), check out today’s infographic!