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We are all set to break the 90 age barrier

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We are all set to break the 90 age barrier

London - South Koreans are likely to have the highest life expectancy in the world by 2030

Published: Wed 22 Feb 2017, 10:23 PM

Updated: Thu 23 Feb 2017, 2:40 AM

  • By
  • Agencies

Average life expectancy will rise in many countries by 2030, breaking through 90 years in some places, and policymakers need to make more efforts to plan for it, according to a large international study.
South Koreans are likely to have the highest life expectancy in the world by 2030 and the United States one of the lowest among developed countries, the study showed.
"The fact that we will continue to live longer means we need to think about strengthening the health and social care systems to support an ageing population with multiple health needs," said Majid Ezzati, the lead researcher and a professor at Imperial College London's school of public health. Led by Imperial scientists in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, the study found that among high-income countries, the United States is likely to have the lowest life expectancy in 2030, with men and women expecting to live 79.5 and 83.3 years respectively - similar to middle-income countries like Croatia and Mexico. This was partly due to a lack of universal healthcare in the United States, and also due to factors such as relatively high child and maternal mortality rates, and high rates of homicides and obesity, the study said.
In Europe, French women and Swiss men were predicted to have the highest life expectancies, averaging 88.6 years for French women and nearly 84 years for Swiss men.
South Korea came out top of the predictions, with the researchers predicting a girl born in South Korea in 2030 should expect to live 90.8 years, while a boy could reach 84.1 years. 



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