New figures show the average global life expectancy is predicted to rise by five years when 2050 rolls around.
The research suggests life expectancy in some parts around the world will see men living to 76 and women past 80 years old. But it means children born between 2022 and 2022 in certain places are estimated to live shorter lives than the new estimate.
The Lancet Public Health study, published today, estimated the global life expectancy will increase to 78.1 years by 2050, rising by 4.5 years.
The trend is driven by public health measures in preventing and improving survival rates from illnesses. These include nutritional and cardiovascular diseases and neonatal infections.
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Health experts have commented on the study, stating the numbers provide an opportunity to combat metabolic and dietary risk factors, like high BMI and high blood pressure.
However, the figures also show the average number of years someone will live in good health will increase from 64.8 years to 67.4 years by 2050. This means while people may live longer, they spend more years in poor health.
Researchers say the total number of years lost due to poor health and early death, due to high blood pressure, blood sugar and BMI, has increased by 49.4 percent since 2000.
Contributors have been noted as smoking, air pollutants, low birthweight and short gestation.
Responding to the figures, Dr Chris Murray, director of the US Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), said: “In addition to an increase in life expectancy overall, we have found that the disparity in life expectancy across geographies will lessen.
“This is an indicator that while health inequalities between the highest and lowest income regions will remain, the gaps are shrinking, with the biggest increases anticipated in sub-Saharan Africa.
“There is immense opportunity ahead for us to influence the future of global health by getting ahead of these rising metabolic and dietary risk factors, particularly those related to behavioural and lifestyle factors like high blood sugar, high body mass index, and high blood pressure.”
Dr Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor of health metrics sciences at the IHME, added: “Risk factors that currently lead to ill health, such as obesity and other components of metabolic syndrome, exposure to ambient particulate matter air pollution, and tobacco use, must be addressed via a combination of global health policy efforts and exposure reduction to mitigate health risks and improve population health.”
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Global life expectancy for 2050 – how long will you live?
| Females in 2050 (years) | Males in 2050 (years) | |
| Global | 80.5 | 76 |
| Central & Europe & central Asia | 82 | 75.5 |
| Central Asia | 81.4 | 75.8 |
| Central Europe | 83.6 | 77.6 |
| Eastern Europe | 81.9 | 74.7 |
| High Income | 85.3 | 81.3 |
| Australasia | 86.5 | 83.3 |
| High Income Asia Pacific | 89.1 | 84.4 |
| High Income North America | 82.8 | 78.9 |
| Southern Latin America | 83.2 | 79 |
| Western Europe | 86.1 | 82.6 |
| Latin America and Caribbean | 82.2 | 77 |
| Andean Latin America | 82.3 | 79.3 |
| Caribbean | 78.6 | 74.3 |
| Central Latin America | 81.9 | 76.6 |
| Tropical Latin America | 83.2 | 77.4 |
| North Africa and Middle East | 79.4 | 76.9 |
| South Asia | 79.4 | 76.3 |
| Southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania | 82.8 | 77 |
| East Asia | 84.6 | 78.6 |
| Oceania | 73.8 | 71.4 |
| Southeast Asia | 80.2 | 75 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 75.5 | 71.6 |
| Central sub-Saharan Africa | 74.5 | 70 |
| Eastern sub-Saharan Africa | 76.5 | 72.4 |
| Southern sub-Saharan Africa | 74.9 | 68.8 |
| Western sub-Saharan Africa | 75.3 | 72 |
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