Adding Years or Adding Health-What's Your Pick?

Although human life expectancy continues to rise, the question remains: Is this increase translating into equally healthy longevity gains? With advancements in pharmacology, the availability of drugs and medications, and progress in prevention, treatment, disease control, patient education, health promotion, community awareness, and public health screening programs, one might assume that narrowing the gap between lifespan and healthspan would be straightforward (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Healthspan-lifespan gap differs in magnitude and disease contribution across world regions

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However, in reality, the number of years lived (lifespan) and the number of years lived in good health (healthspan) are not the same, and the gap between them is steadily widening.

Living Longer vs. Living Healthier

The study examined the difference between life expectancy (longevity) and health expectancy (healthspan) in 183 countries between 2000 and 2019, using data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations. The study aims to understand why longer lives do not always mean healthier lives and to identify the factors that contribute to this disparity.

Lifespan was described in terms of life expectancy at birth, while healthspan was described in terms of health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE), which is the average number of years a person lives in good health, free from major illness or disability. The gap between them shows how many years, on average, people live in poor health.

Global Statistics of Lifespan and Healthspan

Region	Life Expectancy (yrs)	Healthspan (yrs)	Gap (yrs)	Percentage of lifespan compromised by disease
Global	73.7	64.5	9.1	12.7%
Africa	64.1	55.6	8.3	12.9%
Europe	78.6	68.8	9.9	12.4%
Americas	75.9	65.8	9.6	12.9%
Eastern Mediterranean	73.9	64.0	9.8	13.3%
South-East Asia	72.6	63.4	9.6	–
Western Pacific	70.4	62.1	8.4	11.8%

Study Highlights

• The percentage of lifespan compromised by a disease was highest in the eastern Mediterranean populations.
• The non-communicable disease (NCD) was highest among Americans.
• Healthspan decreases with communicable, maternal, perinatal, and nutritional (CMPN) conditions, which are more prevalent among Africans.
• Healthspan decreased with injury burden was the highest among Europeans.

Africa Lags, Europe Leads

People in many African countries live fewer healthy years than expected due to wealth, chronic diseases, and other factors.

While in Europe, people stay healthier longer than expected! The pattern remained consistent regardless of where the countries were.

Health Patterns Around the World

Researchers grouped countries into three types based on common disease trends:

1. Cluster 1 (8.3 years gap) – Countries where nutrition problems, infections, and maternal/infant health issues are common. Mostly in Africa.
2. Cluster 2 (9.4 years gap) – Countries where eye/ear problems, diabetes, and kidney or urinary issues are more common. Spread across multiple regions.
3. Cluster 3 (10.3 years gap) – Countries where cancer, heart disease, musculoskeletal, and brain disorders are the main problems. Mostly in Europe.

The regional trends did not include mental health implications and substance use, as they are widespread everywhere.

The gap between life and healthy years is growing worldwide—but not equally. Africa faces the fastest widening gap, while Europe enjoys longer, healthier lives.

Addressing the crisis requires region-specific solutions and policies guided by local health realities, focusing on preventing the diseases that most undermine quality of life.

Reference:

1. Healthspan-lifespan gap differs in magnitude and disease contribution across world regions - (https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-025-01111-2)

Source-Medindia