In this article, we will look at 20 countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. If you want to skip our discussion about life expectancy in the United States, go to 5 Countries With the Highest Life Expectancy In The World.
The United States is one of the most developed countries in the world. However, it is still not a part of the top 20 countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. According to a report by The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), life expectancy in the United States is 79.4 years, which is 3.9 years lower than all other OECD countries. In addition, the country also reports high treatable and preventable mortality rates. The United States also fares worse than the average of OECD countries when it comes to diabetes prevalence, death from air pollution, and obesity. In fact, the United States is one of the most obese countries in the world, and twelve of its cities are on our list of the most overweight and obese cities in the world. According to Peterson -KFF health system tracker, despite spending twice that of other comparable countries on health per person, the life expectancy in the United States is low. It also falls way behind world leaders when it comes to infant mortality rates and mortality above age 50. According to Harvard Health, several health issues, such as homicides, smoking, opioid overdoses, and road accidents contribute to the low life expectancy in the country.
While the United States does not fare well compared to other OECD countries, life expectancy in the country has increased drastically in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The average lifespan of individuals in the US increased from just 47 years in 1900 to 79 years in 2019. However, the country saw a slight decline in average lifespan for two consecutive years following coronavirus. The life expectancy in the US decreased to 77 years in 2020 and 76 in 2021. This decrease in life expectancy is attributed to an increase in drug overdose effects and deaths by coronavirus. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), life expectancy rebounded back to 77.5 years in 2022.
Given the low life expectancy in the United States, some companies are carrying out scientific research and studies to enhance the life span of individuals. Pharmaceutical companies, such as Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY), are actively working to combat diseases. FDA recently approved an anti-cancer drug called Jaypirca. According to Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY), this drug will be used to treat patients with lymphocytic leukemia. It is the first noncovalent BTK inhibitor to be approved by the FDA. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) also announced that the drug will be used for patients who have received at least two lines of therapy.
Other companies are using Artificial Intelligence to speed up pharmaceutical developments, which will help increase life expectancy. Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) is a clinical-stage biotechnology firm in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company is dedicated to reinventing drug discovery and speeding it up by integrating chemistry, data science, and machine learning. Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) aims to lower the time and cost spent on drug development. This will pave the way for the industrialization of the drug discovery process. This initiative by Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(NASDAQ:RXRX) has caught the attention of German pharmaceutical firm, Bayer AG, which announced a pledge of $1.5 billion to work on seven oncology and cancer treatment-related projects with the company. Here is what Lux Capital, an investment management firm, said about the company in its 2022, quarter 2 Investor letter:
“As we discussed before describing “Extensionalism”, one of our theses has been the growing convergence between the biological and technological, the organic and inorganic, man and machine. Lux has made investments in the digitization, technological capture and amplification of each of the human senses. Consider vision and speech: we have technology that can rapidly recognize and label objects from pixels (companies that span defense, biotechnology, manufacturing and transportation like, Recursion (NASDAQ:RXRX), and others that can rapidly generate videos, images, and even more complex language from simple inputs.”
Let's now head over to the list of countries where people live the longest.
20 Countries With The Highest Life Expectancy In The World
An elderly couple with their arms around each other, holding a frame of life insurance.
Methodology
For our list of 20 countries with the highest life expectancy in the world, we sorted countries by their life expectancies in ascending order. We utilized data based on the latest United Nations Population Division estimate.
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20 - Iceland
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 82.96
Female Life Expectancy - 84.41
Male Life Expectancy - 81.55
Iceland has one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world. Life expectancy in the country has seen a positive trend over the years. It increased from 78.8 years in 1994 to 82.4 years in 2016. Iceland also has one of the lowest mortality rates in Europe. The average mortality rate in the country is 6.5 per 1000, whereas the infant mortality rate is 2.7 per 100.
19 - Canada
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.02
Female Life Expectancy - 84.94
Male Life Expectancy - 81.07
Although Canada is part of our list of countries with the highest life expectancy in the world, life expectancy declined for a third consecutive year in 2023. In addition, this decline was more prominent in females than men. However, much of this decline can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
18 - New Zealand
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.16
Female Life Expectancy - 84.84
Male Life Expectancy - 81.43
New Zealand's life expectancy has seen a positive trend since the turn of the century. It has improved from 78.6 years in 2000 to 83.16 years in 2024. These figures reflect an improvement in health care, living standards, and public health initiatives in the country. Like many other countries, there is a significant gender gap in the life expectancies of women and men, with women living longer than men on average.
17 - Guadeloupe
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.34
Female Life Expectancy - 86.43
Male Life Expectancy - 79.68
Guadeloupe has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. The country has seen a steady improvement in its health care and living standards over the last few years, which has increased life expectancy over the years. However, there is a significant gender gap of around seven years in life expectancies of men and women.
16 - France
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.35
Female Life Expectancy - 86.08
Male Life Expectancy - 80.50
Life expectancy in France, like in many other countries on our list, has seen a positive trend over the last few years. This trend can be attributed to the progress in the fight against cardiovascular diseases and cancer in the country. Reduction in infant and child mortality rates has also had a positive effect on life expectancy in France.
15 - Israel
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.39
Female Life Expectancy - 85.10
Male Life Expectancy - 81.59
Israel is among the top 15 countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. According to an OECD countries report, Israelis drink less alcohol and commit less suicide than people in other OECD countries. Despite ranking 27 out of the 39 countries for healthcare expenditure, in research by NiceRx, the country has seen a significant rise in life expectancy over the last few years.
14 - Martinique
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.45
Female Life Expectancy - 86.09
Male Life Expectancy - 80.44
Martinique's life expectancy has increased by 5.7 years since 2000. This drastic increase in life expectancy in the country can be attributed to advancements in health care and modern contraception in the country.
13 - Norway
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.55
Female Life Expectancy - 85.17
Male Life Expectancy - 81.91
According to the World Health Organization, life expectancy in Norway increased by 4.09 years between 2000 and 2019. Life expectancy in 2000 was 78.5 years, which increased to 82.6 years in 2019. It has also increased significantly since 2019 as it now stands at 83.55 years. The country has a well-developed healthcare system that provides high-quality medical care. In addition, Norwegians are known to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
12 - Sweden
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.65
Female Life Expectancy - 85.22
Male Life Expectancy - 82.08
Sweden has a well-developed healthcare system that delivers high-quality medical care. In addition, it is a welfare state where accessibility to high-tech health care is very easy. Its people are known to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which contributes to their longevity.
11 - French Polynesia
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.70
Female Life Expectancy - 86.10
Male Life Expectancy - 81.49
French Polynesia is one of the countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. There has been a long-standing focus on health care in the country, which has made a significant contribution to the increase in life expectancy.
10 -Australia
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.73
Female Life Expectancy - 85.56
Male Life Expectancy - 81.89
Australia is among the top 10 countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. It also ranks fifth among the OECD countries. Over the past five decades, life expectancy in the country has increased by 13.7 years for males and 11.2 years for females. The country has seen a drastic reduction in poverty and an improvement in the healthcare system and living standards over the past five decades.
9 - Malta
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 83.85
Female Life Expectancy - 85.83
Male Life Expectancy - 81.81
Malta is a small island nation, but it is one of the top 10 countries when it comes to life expectancy. Public health efforts and disease prevention programs in the country have contributed significantly to increasing the average lifespan of individuals. There is also a focus on a healthy lifestyle in the country, which reflects positively on life expectancy.
8 - Spain
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 84.05
Female Life Expectancy - 86.68
Male Life Expectancy - 81.35
Life expectancy in Spain has been on the rise. It increased by 0.15% between the years 2022 and 2023. Improvements in living standards, economic growth, and poverty reduction are some of the most prominent reasons for an improvement in life expectancy in the country. In addition, some experts think that Spain's Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine is one of the reasons why people live longer in the country.
7 - South Korea
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 84.14
Female Life Expectancy - 87.23
Male Life Expectancy - 80.83
According to a study published in The Lancet, South Korea will have the highest life expectancy in the year 2030 when a baby girl born in the country would be expected to live for 90.8 years. The high life expectancy in the country is a result of low blood pressure, low levels of smoking, and good access to healthcare enjoyed by the people in the country.
6 - Italy
Life Expectancy of Both Sexes - 84.20
Female Life Expectancy - 86.13
Male Life Expectancy - 82.15
Italy is one of the countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. Life expectancy in Italy has seen a positive trend over the last few years, which could be attributed to an improvement in its healthcare system.
