A new study, appearing in the medical journal The Lancet on Friday, has said that more than half of the babies born today in rich countries will live to 100 years. That is, if the current trends of life expectancy continue.
In the 20th century, most developed countries saw an increase of around 30 years in life expectancy, according to the paper led by Kaare Christensen, a professor at the Danish Ageing Research Centre at the University of Southern Denmark.
Here's How Life Expectancy varies Around the World
In India, 140 of every 1000 children born to the poorest households die before the age of five - and the rate is three times higher than among those born to the richest - of which
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In 1950, only 15-16 percent of 80-year-old women, and just 12 percent of octogenarian men, made it to the age of 90 in advanced economies.
In 2002, this had risen to 37 percent and 25 percent respectively. In Japan, the survival rate from 80 to 90 is now more than 50 percent for women.
![Life Expectancy in US Increased by 6.2 Years During Great Depression: Study]( "Life Expectancy in US Increased by 6.2 Years During Great Depression: Study")
A University of Michigan study has shown that U.S. life expectancy increased by 6.2 years during the Great Depression.
"If the pace of increase in life expectancy in developed countries over the past two centuries continues through the 21st century, most babies born since 2000 in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the USA, Canada, Japan and other countries with long life expectancies will celebrate their 100th birthdays," the review said.
Evidence also suggests that, today, the extra years are less encumbered by disabilities and dependence than in the past.
The paper warned, though, that longer lifespans pose major social, economic and medical challenges as the very elderly become a greater proportion of the community.
One solution could be to spread employment more evenly across populations and ages of life, the authors said.
Instead of working for a long, intense spell and then retiring, "individuals could combine work, education, leisure and child-rearing in varying amounts at different ages."
"The 20th century was a century of redistribution of income. The 21st century could be a century of redistribution of work," they argued.
Source: AFP
TAN
Life Expectancy in US Increased by 6.2 Years During Great Depression: Study
A University of Michigan study has shown that U.S. life expectancy increased by 6.2 years during the Great Depression.
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"If the pace of increase in life expectancy in developed countries over the past two centuries continues through the 21st century, most babies born since 2000 in France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the USA, Canada, Japan and other countries with long life expectancies will celebrate their 100th birthdays," the review said.
Evidence also suggests that, today, the extra years are less encumbered by disabilities and dependence than in the past.
The paper warned, though, that longer lifespans pose major social, economic and medical challenges as the very elderly become a greater proportion of the community.
One solution could be to spread employment more evenly across populations and ages of life, the authors said.
Instead of working for a long, intense spell and then retiring, "individuals could combine work, education, leisure and child-rearing in varying amounts at different ages."
"The 20th century was a century of redistribution of income. The 21st century could be a century of redistribution of work," they argued.
Source: AFP
TAN
Life Expectancy Of Japanese Hits All-Time High
Japanese people are living longer than ever, with the average life expectancy now 86.05 years for women and 79.29 years for men, the health ministry said Thursday.
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 Healthy Life Years Matter More Than Life Expectancy After 50A new study has shown that the number of years of healthy active life people live after the age of 50 varies greatly across Europe. | Advertisement
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