This study found that people worldwide are gaining years of life, but not necessarily years of good health. From 1990 to 2023, average life expectancy rose from 64.6 to 73.8 years, while healthy life expectancy increased from 55.9 to 63.1 years. As longevity improved faster than health, the global ‘morbidity gap’ – the amount of time people spend living with illness or disability – grew from 8.8 to 10.7 years. The share of a person’s life spent in poor health also rose, from 13.6 percent to 14.5 percent.
The increase was especially marked in wealthier nations. In 2023, the United States recorded the largest gap between total lifespan and healthy lifespan, at 14 years, followed by Australia at 13.9 years and Canada at 13.7 years. Women also experienced a greater burden of ill health than men despite having longer lifespans: their average morbidity gap was 12.1 years, compared with 9.3 years for men. The findings highlight the need for healthcare systems to place greater emphasis on preserving health and functional ability throughout life, rather than concentrating primarily on extending survival.
A relatively small number of chronic conditions accounted for 57.4 percent of all years spent in poor health globally in 2023. Musculoskeletal problems, especially low back pain, made the largest contribution, followed by mental health disorders, diseases affecting the senses such as hearing loss, falls and other injuries, and various chronic noncommunicable diseases. Among the leading factors associated with this burden were elevated blood glucose, high body mass index, child and maternal malnutrition, and tobacco use.
To check out Dr. Rath’s basic Cellular Health recommendations for prolonging healthy lifespan, see this page on our website.
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News
People around the world are living longer than ever before but spending more of those additional years in poor health, according to a new Global Burden of Disease study published in The Lancet Public Health journal.
[Source: medicalxpress.com]
[Image source: pexels.com]
Comment
This study found that people worldwide are gaining years of life, but not necessarily years of good health. From 1990 to 2023, average life expectancy rose from 64.6 to 73.8 years, while healthy life expectancy increased from 55.9 to 63.1 years. As longevity improved faster than health, the global ‘morbidity gap’ – the amount of time people spend living with illness or disability – grew from 8.8 to 10.7 years. The share of a person’s life spent in poor health also rose, from 13.6 percent to 14.5 percent.
The increase was especially marked in wealthier nations. In 2023, the United States recorded the largest gap between total lifespan and healthy lifespan, at 14 years, followed by Australia at 13.9 years and Canada at 13.7 years. Women also experienced a greater burden of ill health than men despite having longer lifespans: their average morbidity gap was 12.1 years, compared with 9.3 years for men. The findings highlight the need for healthcare systems to place greater emphasis on preserving health and functional ability throughout life, rather than concentrating primarily on extending survival.
A relatively small number of chronic conditions accounted for 57.4 percent of all years spent in poor health globally in 2023. Musculoskeletal problems, especially low back pain, made the largest contribution, followed by mental health disorders, diseases affecting the senses such as hearing loss, falls and other injuries, and various chronic noncommunicable diseases. Among the leading factors associated with this burden were elevated blood glucose, high body mass index, child and maternal malnutrition, and tobacco use.
To check out Dr. Rath’s basic Cellular Health recommendations for prolonging healthy lifespan, see this page on our website.
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
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