CANADIANS AMONG THOSE MOST LIKELY TO LIVE BEYOND 100

While the worldwide average life expectancy is 73.4 years old, a 2020 United Nations report found that Canada is among the countries where people are most likely to live over the age of 100.

Of the 37,742,157 residents in Canada (2020 estimates), thousands of centenarians are dispersed across the country. As of 2020, 8,546 Canadians lived over the age of 100, meaning there were 23 centenarians for every 100,000 residents (0.023 per cent).

The UN report, which studies 190 nations, showed that between 2000 and 2020, the population of Canadian centenarians grew from 3,356 to 8,766, for an increase of 76.07 per cent.

According to Statistics Canada's updated data, Canada's centenarian population actually grew to over 9,500 in 2021, now representing 0.03 per cent of Canadians. The number of centenarians could also increase rapidly between 2046 and 2065, when many baby boomers will turn 100. By 2065, there is projected to be over 87,500 centenarians in Canada.

“A strong increase in the number of older Canadians will have many implications in terms of health and homecare services, housing, transportation, and consumption habits,” Statcan reported. “Challenges may persist if shortages in the health-care workforce continue.”

The UN report showed that 82.75 per cent of Canadian centenarians were women and 17.25 per cent were men.

Experts say that of the generation born a century ago, women tended to lead healthier lifestyles than men. Men of this generation were more likely to die of cardiovascular disease or smoking-related cancers, while women tend to have more arthritis, chronic pain and problems with mobility.

In April 2022, Statcan stated that data from the upcoming release of the Census of Population will provide a better understanding of the differences in the lives of older women and older men.

The commonly held belief that Japan has the most centenarians still somewhat holds, ranking in fourth place in the UN study.

The top three countries to live a long life, according to the study were Caribbean Island nations: Guadeloupe, Barbados and Martinique.

Guadeloupe leads the way with 75 centenarians per 100,000 people, boasting almost 80 per cent more centenarians than it did in 2000. Barbados has 71 centenarians per 100,000, and Martinique has 63 centenarians for every 100,000 residents.

In another report published by Science Daily from King's College London, it said further research is needed to understand why some people reach extreme old age without severe health problems and others do not. This could help to improve care, develop health services and improve quality of life for older generations.

“We found a surprising number of 100-year-olds who had no major illnesses,” Nisha Hazra, lead author of the study from the Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences at King's College London said.