Life expectancy to increase by 5 years by 2050 but years lived in good health will be only 2.6 more

Global life expectancy is set to increase by almost five years by 2050, with growth most evident in men and in countries where life expectancy is currently lowest, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa. This is indicated by the new study of the Global Burden of Desease 2021, a vast periodic analysis on health that draws on the work of over 11,000 contributors from around the world.

The research, coordinated by the American Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and published in the journal The Lancet, indicates, however, that the number of years characterised by poor health will also increase, mainly due to cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. As pointed out by researchers co-ordinated by Amanda Smith and Christopher Murray, who examined data on 371 diseases and 88 risk factors in 204 countries, increased life expectancy is driven in large part by public health measures that have prevented and improved survival rates for many ailments.

In particular, the data indicate that life expectancy tends to increase by an average of 4.9 years in men and 4.2 years in women, while an overall increase of only 2.6 years lived in good health is expected. According to the study's authors, the results could be further improved with interventions aimed at correcting behaviours considered unhealthy, such as unbalanced diet and smoking.