Lancet study finds longer lives but growing years spent in poor health

A new analysis published in The Lancet Public Health shows that global life expectancy rose from 64.6 years for people born in 1990 to 73.8 years for those born in 2023. Healthy life expectancy increased more modestly, from 55.9 to 63.1 years, widening the “morbidity gap” from 8.8 to 10.7 years. On average, 14.5 % of a person’s lifespan is now lived with health problems, up from 13.6 % in 1990.

The gap is largest in high‑income nations: the United States averages 14 years of life in poor health, followed by Australia (13.9 years) and Canada (13.7 years). In contrast, sub‑Saharan Africa records a gap of about nine years. The study attributes most of the extra ill‑health years to a limited set of chronic conditions – musculoskeletal disorders (especially low‑back pain), mental health issues (depression, anxiety), sensory impairments, and lifestyle‑related risk factors such as obesity, high blood glucose and air‑pollution.

Country‑specific data mirror the global trend. In Greece, the average healthy‑life expectancy at age 65 is 8.8 years, below the EU average of 9.1 years, and more than 40 % of Greek adults report at least one chronic disease. Austria shows a rise in its morbidity gap from 9.9 to 11.9 years, with women experiencing a larger gap than men. These findings suggest that health systems need to shift focus from merely extending lifespan to preserving health quality throughout longer lives.