Cross-sectional research shows the global gap between longer life and good health

According to research from the Mayo Clinic, people around the world are living longer, but not necessarily healthier. A study among 183 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that these extra years of life are increasingly accompanied by diseases. This research by Andre Terzic, MD, Ph.D., and Armin Garmany documents a widening gap between longevity and health. Their paper is published in JAMA network opened.

“The data shows that gains in longevity are not matched by equivalent gains in healthy longevity. Growing older often means more years of life burdened by disease,” says Dr. Terzic, senior author. “This research has important implications for practice and policy by highlighting a growing threat to the quality of lifespan and the need to close the gap between health and longevity.”

Dr. Terzic is Marriott Family Director, Comprehensive Cardiac Regenerative Medicine for the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics and Marriott Family Professor of Cardiovascular Research at Mayo Clinic.

According to WHO estimates, between 2000 and 2019, life expectancy or longevity increased from 79.2 to 80.7 years in women and from 74.1 to 76.3 years in men. Healthspan describes the number of years a person has lived a healthy, active and disease-free life. However, the number of years that these people lived in good health did not increase accordingly. The average global gap between lifespan and health was 9.6 years in 2019, the last year of available statistics. That represents an increase of 13% since 2000.

The US recorded the world’s highest average gap between longevity and health, with Americans living an average of 12.4 years with disability and illness. This increase from 10.9 years in 2000 comes as the US also reported the highest burden of chronic diseases. Mental health, substance use disorders and musculoskeletal disorders were the leading causes of illness nationally.

Furthermore, the study found that there is a 25% gender inequality worldwide. In 183 countries surveyed, women experienced a 2.4 year greater gap in longevity versus health than men. Neurological, musculoskeletal, urinary and genital disorders have contributed to years of poor women’s health.

“The growing gap between health and longevity globally points to the need for an accelerated transition to proactive, wellness-oriented healthcare systems,” said Armin Garmany, first author and MD/Ph.D. student at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “Identifying the contributors to the gap unique to each region can help inform health care interventions specific to each country and region.”

The Mayo Clinic research team studied statistics from the WHO Global Health Observatory. This cross-sectional study provided data on life expectancy, health-adjusted life expectancy, years lived with disease and years of life lost among Member States. The gap between health and longevity was calculated for each Member State by subtracting the health-adjusted life expectancy from the life expectancy.