People are living longer, but most populations are now spending a decade or more of life in poor health, a recent study published in The Lancet Public Health found.
“Progress towards healthy ageing should therefore be assessed not only by reduced mortality, but also by declines in years lived in poor health, with emphasis placed on extending healthspan,” the authors wrote.
The study used Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2023 estimates of life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2023. Researchers calculated the morbidity gap as life expectancy minus healthy life expectancy, and the proportional morbidity gap as the difference divided by life expectancy.
Here are six findings.
1. The global morbidity gap increased by 21.9% from 8.8 years to 10.7.
2. Globally in 2023, people spent 14.5% of life in poor health, compared to 13.6% in 1990.
3. During the time frame, age-specific morbidity gaps widened across the adult life course. Countries with longer life expectancies had larger morbidity gaps.
4. The gap was due to a small number of chronic, non-fatal causes with 57.4% of unhealthy years in 2023 being due to musculoskeletal disorders, especially low back pain, mental disorders including depressive and anxiety disorders, sense organ diseases such as age-related hearing loss, falls and other non-communicable diseases.
5. The leading risk factors contributing to global morbidity gaps were high fasting plasma glucose, high body-mass index, and child and maternal malnutrition.
6. In 2024, life expectancy had reached a record 79 years: 81.4 for women and 76.5 for men.
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