South Korea Leads List of Life Expectancy Gains

 

A new study predicts that South Korean women will be the first group in the world to have an average lifespan of more than 90 years.

Researchers at Imperial College London and the World Health Organization studied the lifespans of people in 35 industrialized countries. Their findings suggest that by 2030 people will be living longer. It also says the gap between men and women could start to close in most countries.

South Koreans living the longest

Women are predicted to live longer lives than men in all countries. Behind South Korean women, women in France, Japan, Spain and Switzerland are expected, on average, to live to age 88.

The life expectancy¹ of South Korean men is expected to increase, but only to about age 84. In Australia, Switzerland, Canada and the Netherlands, men also are expected to live to about 84 on average.

According to the study, the increase in life expectancy in South Korea was caused by decreases in deaths from infections and long-term diseases in children and adults. The study says gains in life expectancy are a result of economic improvements in South Korea.

These gains have led to improved youth nutrition, increased access to primary and secondary health care, and the development of new medical technologies. South Koreans also have a lower body-mass index and blood pressure than people in most western countries, and lower smoking in women.

The U.S. is behind other developed countries

While women and men in South Korea led the study, Americans continued to have one of the lower life expectancies² among developed countries.

Macedonia had the lowest life expectancy for women at nearly 78 years, and Serbia for men at about 73 years.

Men and women in the U.S. are predicted to have life expectancies of 80 and 83 years, about the same as Mexico and Croatia.

The writers of the study said life expectancy increases were smaller partly because of a lack of universal health care in the United States. The study also said problems such as relatively³ high child and maternal⁴ mortality rates, and high rates of homicide and obesity⁵ were to blame.

Changing expectations

Scientists once thought that a life expectancy beyond 90 years was impossible. However gains in medicine, combined with improved social programs, are helping⁶ people live longer lives.

These improvements are also happening in countries where people already live a long time, according to the study's lead researcher, Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London.

"I can imagine that there is a limit, but we are still very far from it,'' he said. Ezzati estimated that people would eventually survive on average to at least 110 or 120 years.

The study says that obesity, tobacco use and harmful alcohol use are the leading causes of death in adults. However, having an effective health care system is important for a country to improve life expectancy. The survey noted⁷ the good effects of having universal health-care coverage⁸.

The study said that, with longer life expectancy, there will also be new pressures on health and social services. The number of people needing long-term care in their old age will increase, which will put stress on available facilities giving this care. The study suggests that either more facilities will need to be built, or health care may need to be provided at home.

There will also be additional pressure on pensions and social security. These are programs that provide money to people after they retire from work.

With people living longer, they will require more pension or social security payments than earlier generations. The study suggests that either the retirement⁹ age will need to be increased or plans will need to put in place to transition workers to retirement at a later age.

Words in This Story

body-mass index – n. a weight-to-height ratio, calculated by dividing one's weight in kilograms by the square of one's height in meters and used as an indicator¹⁰ of obesity and underweight.

homicide – n. the act of killing¹¹ another person

industrialize – v. to develop industries in a country or region on a wide scale.

lifespan – n. the length of time for which a person or animal lives

life expectancy – n. the average period that a person may expect to live.

mortality – n. the death of a person, animal, etc.

nutrition – n. the process of eating the right kind of food so you can grow properly and be healthy

obesity – n. the problem of being overweight in a way that is unhealthy

1 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

2 expectancies   

期待，期望( expectancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Each of us came with his own expectancies. 我们每个人都有自己的希望。
• In fact, modern lifestyles are actually exacerbating the gap between male and female life expectancies. 实际上，现代生活方式确实加大了男女寿命差别的鸿沟。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

5 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

9 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

10 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

11 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。