Experts unveil the one country with the longest lifespan – but there's a surprising catch - BBC Science Focus Magazine

What the report says

BBC Science Focus Magazine reported on new research in The Lancet Public Health estimating life expectancy and healthy life expectancy across 204 countries using 2023 data. The study found Singapore had the world’s highest life expectancy, with the average person expected to live past 85. Study author Dr Marie Ng of the National University of Singapore told the magazine that Singapore’s longevity reflects long-term policy, including its healthcare system, social protections and evidence-based governance.

The report emphasized a major caveat: longer lives do not necessarily mean healthier lives. Researchers examined the “morbidity gap,” the difference between total life expectancy and years expected to be lived in good health. In Singapore, the study estimated healthy life expectancy at 74.1 years, leaving about 11.2 years likely to be lived with ill health. Globally, life expectancy rose from 64.6 years in 1990 to 73.8 years in 2023, but healthy life expectancy did not increase at the same pace.

The widening gap appeared in 203 of 204 countries, with Palestine identified as the only exception in the article. The United States had the largest average morbidity gap at 14 years, followed by Australia and Canada. The study also highlighted a gender divide: women generally lived longer than men, but spent more of those additional years in poor health.

BBC Science Focus said the main contributors to the global morbidity gap included musculoskeletal disorders, mental health conditions, hearing and other sense-organ diseases, injuries such as falls, and non-communicable diseases including diabetes and heart disease. The findings matter because they shift attention from lifespan alone toward policies and medical priorities that extend healthy years, not just total years lived.