Being born in Monaco or Nigeria: 30 years less life expectancy
Statistics demonstrate the significant differences that quality of life, a good healthcare system, the economy, or a good diet can make.
Humans are living longer, but life expectancy isn't increasing equally everywhere. Statistics show that longevity depends heavily on diet, access to a good healthcare system, and the quality of life offered by a country with a strong economy. One factor not reflected in the statistics but also highlighted by scientists is strong social and community ties. The country with the longest life expectancy, averaging 86.5 years, is Monaco, which has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, a good healthcare system, and a Mediterranean diet, designated by scientists as one of the healthiest in the world. But the fact that it has only a few tens of thousands of inhabitants also contributes to the higher average age in such a wealthy and affluent country. If we exclude small states (or semi-states), the ranking would begin with Japan, with an average life expectancy of 84.4 years. The Japanese also enjoy a healthy diet, heavily focused on fish and vegetables, and a good quality of life. At the opposite end of the ranking are countries with high poverty rates. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, with 40% of its population living in poverty (in addition to high infant mortality and other factors, such as high levels of violence), has the lowest life expectancy, averaging only 54.6 years. There is a 30-year difference in life expectancy between Monaco and Nigeria.
- Population: 38,400 inhabitants
- GDP per capita: 221,174 euros
- Poverty rate: 0%
- Key factors
A wealthy economy based on tourism and attracting capital with its zero income tax. A very good public health system. Mediterranean diet.
- Population: 49 million
- GDP per capita: €32,630
- Population: 240 million inhabitants
It is the most populous country in Africa
- GDP per capita: €695.61
Poverty rate: 42% of the population lives on less than $3 a day
- Infant mortality (before 1 year): 60 per 1,000 births
The 6th country in the world
- Key factors:
Weak health system; high incidence of malaria, HIV, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.
- Other factors:
Insecurity and violence, high pollution from oil exploitation.
- Life expectancy at birth
73.3 years
- Average age of the population
30, 4 years
- Gender gap
Women live an average of 5.3 years longer than men
Gender Brexta
In every country in the world, women live longer than men, with an average life expectancy of 88.66 years, four years more than the highest average for men, which reaches 84.6. As with the global average, Monaco has the highest life expectancy for both men and women. But in other places, the gender gap is even more pronounced, as is the case, for example, in Spain. In Spain, women live to 86.4 years, placing the country sixth in the ranking of life expectancy for women. But Spanish men live to 81.1 years, more than five years less, which drops Spain to eighteenth place in the ranking of life expectancy for men.
It is this difference in life expectancy that explains why there are more women than men in the world, in a global population that continues to grow. We have already surpassed 8 billion people worldwide, but the UN predicts that population growth will reach around 10 billion by the end of the century and then plateau before slowly declining again due to falling birth rates in most countries. But, as you can see in the population pyramid, it will be an increasingly aging global population.