Life Expectancy Across the Globe – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1172

Life Expectancy Across the Globe – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1172

Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1172 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma    Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com  for publishing your contributions here.

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Credit: Taha Samet Arsalan

Preamble

This blog post is based on an article by Daniil Filipenco, Published in Developmentaid Digest. Link to article at the end.

What the Highest and Lowest Life Expectancy Reveal

We all share one inescapable fact of life: none of us lives forever. But how long we are likely to live and how well varies dramatically across countries, regions, and social groups. A recent DevelopmentAid piece, based on the UN’s World Population Prospects 2024, revisits the global picture of life expectancy and highlights remarkable gains, stubborn disparities, and urgent questions for health policy.

Below are the key findings, explore what lies beneath the numbers, and discuss what it means for countries aiming to improve longevity and equity.

Global Life Expectancy: Progress with Tensions

A Rising Tide – On Average, People Live Longer

One of the clearest takeaways is that the global average life expectancy has climbed. According to the UN data cited by DevelopmentAid, world life expectancy now stands at 73.3 years, up from about 66 in 1995.

Much of this advance stems from reductions in child mortality and better control of infectious diseases (especially HIV/AIDS) in many regions. In some African nations, life expectancy in the last two decades surged from the low 50s to the low 60s.

Moreover, the report suggests that post-COVID, most countries have recovered or resumed life expectancy growth toward pre-pandemic levels.

Wide Gaps Remain: Life Expectancy Is Uneven

Despite global gains, variation across countries is stark. Some nations enjoy life expectancies in the mid-80s, while others struggle with averages in the 50s or less. The report notes that Western Europe and some parts of East Asia dominate among the highest life expectancies; many countries in West and Central Africa are among the lowest.

The gap between highest and lowest life expectancies remains vast. While the report doesn’t list the absolute extremes, other sources (e.g. WHO, UN) suggest models where the top could be above 85 years (e.g. Japan, Hong Kong) and bottom countries below 55 years (due to conflict, poverty, disease, weak systems).

The magnitude of these differences highlights how life expectancy is not a neutral statistic—it is deeply tied to health systems, social factors, economic capacity, environment, and policy.

What Explains the Differences? Underlying Drivers

Life expectancy is a composite outcome shaped by many factors. The disparities we see are not luck; they are the result of complex interactions between health, society, and policy.

Health Systems & Access to Care

Countries with well-funded, universal, accessible health systems tend to deliver earlier diagnosis, preventive care, maternal/child health, chronic disease management, and better response to epidemics. In contrast, low-resourced settings often lack facilities, medical staff, diagnostics, medicines, and access in rural areas.

Infectious Diseases and Child Mortality

In many of the lowest life expectancy countries, preventable causes, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, diarrheal disease, malnutrition, still claim many young lives. High child mortality drags down the average life expectancy. Success in reducing these is a major driver of gains.

Noncommunicable Diseases & Aging

As countries develop, noncommunicable diseases (heart disease, diabetes, cancers) become dominant. The capacity to manage chronic disease, early detection, treatment, lifestyle control, becomes critical. Countries unable to adapt health systems to handle this transition see stagnation or reversal in longevity gains.

Social Determinants & Inequality

Life expectancy also reflects inequality: wealth, education, nutrition, clean water, sanitation, housing, safety, environment. Even within countries, poorer communities may live much shorter lives than affluent ones. Addressing these structural determinants is key.

Shocks & Crises

Pandemics (e.g. COVID-19), conflict, environmental disasters, and political instability can erode gains or even reverse them. Many of the lowest life expectancy countries suffer from recurring instability or resource constraints that hamper sustained health improvement.

What Makes the Difference: Case Insights & Trends

The “Recovery After COVID” Effect

The DevelopmentAid report points out that many countries are on track to recover post-pandemic declines in life expectancy. During 2020–21, global life expectancy dropped (from 72.6 in 2019 to 70.9) but now appears to be rebounding. This recovery underscores both resilience and fragility: while gains can bounce back when systems hold, shocks reveal how delicate health gains are if systems lack buffer capacity.

Aging Populations & Shifts in Mortality

Another interesting projection: by the 2050s, over half of all deaths will occur among people aged 80+, a stark shift from past patterns.

In 1995, only 17% of deaths were at age 80+; now that proportion is rising. This reflects both improved survival in younger and midlife years and the demographic shift toward older populations globally. This trend has profound implications: healthcare, social care, pensions, eldercare systems must adapt to a world where longevity is no longer the exception but the norm.

What This Means for Countries, Especially Developing Ones

The policy implications from these life expectancy patterns are profound. For countries trying to close gaps or sustain gains, the journey involves multi-dimensional efforts.

Strengthen Primary and Preventive Care

A robust primary care system, preventive health services (vaccination, screening), maternal and child health, and community outreach are foundational. These are lower cost but high impact levers to improve early survival.

Adapt Health Systems for Chronic Care

As populations age and NCDs grow, health systems must evolve from episodic care to continuous, integrated chronic disease management. Investments in diagnostics, follow-up, multidisciplinary care, and access to medicines are essential.

Tackle Social Determinants

No health system alone can close life expectancy gaps. Governments must coordinate across sectors—education, sanitation, nutrition, housing, environmental pollution, income equity. A healthy population is built in classrooms, homes, and communities, as much as clinics.

Build Resilience & Buffer Capacity

Systems must be prepared for shocks: pandemics, climate events, social disruption. Resilient health infrastructure, public health preparedness, and social safety nets can prevent reversals.

Use Data, Monitoring & Equity Lens

Track not just national averages but inequalities within countries—by region, income, gender, ethnicity. Data systems, disaggregated metrics, and accountability are critical to ensure that progress is equitable.

International Cooperation & Financing

Lower-income countries may need external support—global funding, technology transfer, capacity building—to accelerate gains. There is a moral and strategic case for international investment in health equity.

Challenges, Trade-offs & Risks

Improving life expectancy is not a simple formula. Some of the risks and trade-offs include:

Resource constraints: Health, infrastructure, human resources are limited. Prioritization is inevitable.

Sustainability: Gains require maintenance; neglecting public health or social services can erode progress.

Inequitable growth: Without equity focus, improvements may accrue to richer, urban populations, widening internal disparity.

Aging costs: Longer lives mean more chronic disease and higher health system burden; without planning, systems can become overwhelmed.

Sum Up

The “highest and lowest life expectancy” statistics are more than rankings. They speak to lives lived, suffering prevented, and opportunity realized. They remind us that longevity is not an endpoint in itself; it is a byproduct of systems that nurture survival, dignity, equity, and health.

For countries lagging behind, the path forward is arduous but clear: invest in primary and preventive care, build chronic-care infrastructure, tackle inequality, and plan for demographic shifts. The gains are real: longer lives, healthier societies, more human potential realized.

As the globe’s average life expectancy climbs, the question for nations is not whether they will improve; it’s how fast, and for whom. The moral challenge is ensuring that progress reaches the furthest behind, not just those already advantaged.

Concluded.

Disclaimers: Pictures in these blogs are taken from free resources at Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, and Google. Credit is given where available. If a copyright claim is lodged, we shall remove the picture with appropriate regrets.

For most blogs, I research from several sources which are open to public. Their links are mentioned under references. There is no intent to infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. If, any claim is lodged, it will be acknowledged and duly recognized immediately.

References: 

https://www.developmentaid.org/news-stream/post/182122/highest-and-lowest-life-expectancy-by-country?utm_campaign=NewsDigest&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&token=db66c8c8-346f-4eae-bfa0-543169fbb180