Life is short…for Americans
Life expectancy has increased sharply across advanced nations over the last fifty years. In 2014, people residing in OECD countries were, for the first time, expected to live beyond 80 years according World Bank data. That’s 13 years longer than in 1960.
But not all countries improved at the same pace
In the 60s the US had one of the highest life expectancies in the world, with residents living three years longer than the average for OECD nations.
However something happened in the mid-1980s; though life expectancy continued to improve, the US started lagging behind its peers.
A lower life expectancy in the US is particularly surprising when taking into account the fact that Americans tend to spend far more per head than all other OECD residents.
The US had one of the highest life expectancies in the world, now it’s playing catch-up. What went wrong?A highly fragmented health system, for one. One in ten people still don’t have health insurance, although the introduction of Obamacare has led to massive improvements in this front.
But there are other behavioural factors, such as higher consumption of prescription and illegal drugs, a higher rate of traffic-related deaths and higher homicide rates.
It’s well-known that in Italy, Japan and Spain, people live longer than anywhere else in the world. For the Japanese this is largely thanks to a diet rich in fish, universal health care (‘kaihoken’) and other cultural factors. However a changing diet along with a rise in suicide rates has meant that Japan has been overtaken by Italy and Spain in recent years.
The US had one of the highest life expectancies in the world, now it’s playing catch-up. What went wrong?A highly fragmented health system, for one. One in ten people still don’t have health insurance, although the introduction of Obamacare has led to massive improvements in this front.
Obesity is also a factor behind the slower progress. In the US one in three adults are obese, the highest rate of any advanced country.
But there are other behavioural factors, such as higher consumption of prescription and illegal drugs, a higher rate of traffic-related deaths and higher homicide rates.
Americans are also poorer than most of their OECD counterparts
America has higher rates of poverty and income inequality than most other OECD countries.
America has higher rates of poverty and income inequality than most other OECD countries.
It’s well-known that in Italy, Japan and Spain, people live longer than anywhere else in the world. For the Japanese this is largely thanks to a diet rich in fish, universal health care (‘kaihoken’) and other cultural factors. However a changing diet along with a rise in suicide rates has meant that Japan has been overtaken by Italy and Spain in recent years.
Mediterranean countries continue to features prominently among life expectancy rankings, with the Italian island of Sardinia identified by academics as experiencing “extreme longevity”.
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