We're living longer, but not necessarily healthier, a global study shows

A new global study, published in The Lancet Public Health journal and cited by Euronews, shows that people are living longer than ever, but not necessarily in better health. The research analysed data from 204 countries and territories, highlighting that healthcare systems should focus not only on extending life, but also on improving its quality.

Global life expectancy has reached 73.8 years, thanks to reductions in infectious diseases, maternal and infant mortality, and advances in the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions. However, the study's authors found that life expectancy has grown more rapidly than healthy life expectancy. In practice, people are living longer, but spending more years dealing with conditions that, whilst not life-threatening, affect their quality of life.

In 2023, people spent an average of 14.5% of their lives in poor health, marked by illness and disability. The researchers noted that even in countries with the highest life expectancy, people spend more years with health problems, suggesting that the period of illness and disability is extending throughout adult life, rather than being pushed towards the final years.

In high-income countries, people spent an average of 15.7% of their lives in poor health, whilst sub-Saharan Africa recorded the smallest gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. The Netherlands saw the largest increase in this proportion, rising from 13.2% in 1990 to 15.7% in 2023.

The largest gaps between life expectancy and years lived in good health were recorded in the United States, Australia, and Canada. At the other end of the scale are Nauru, the Solomon Islands, and Laos, where people spend the fewest years with health problems.

The conditions and risk factors underlying the phenomenon

According to the study, non-fatal conditions account for 57.4% of years spent in poor health. The most significant include:

• musculoskeletal conditions, such as back pain;
• mental health disorders;
• sensory organ diseases, such as age-related hearing loss;
• accidental injuries.

In low-income countries, nutritional deficiencies, respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases also play a significant role.

The researchers also identified the main risk factors contributing to this phenomenon: excess weight, child and maternal malnutrition, smoking, high blood sugar levels, and air pollution. Drug use and excessive alcohol consumption were among the leading risk factors only in wealthy countries, whilst unprotected sex represented a major factor only in sub-Saharan Africa.

Researchers: living longer is not enough — we must also live more healthily

The study's authors warn that the findings raise questions about the sustainability of healthcare and social care systems, and demonstrate the need for greater investment in prevention and chronic disease management.

"Our findings suggest that future advances in population health will come not only from helping people live longer, but from helping them live healthier," said Christopher Murray, lead author of the study and director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

He argues that progress should be measured not only by length of life, but also by the number of years lived in good health, which requires more substantial investment in prevention, chronic disease management, and long-term care.

Co-author Catherine Bisignano emphasised that reducing years lived with disability requires early intervention and improved prevention and care services — measures that could bring significant benefits both to population health and to the economy.

The authors recommend sustained investment in prevention, rehabilitation services, mental health, chronic disease care, and expanded access to assistive technologies and integrated long-term care services.