Report: By 2040, Israelis’ lifespan will soar, Palestinians’ to drop most

Painting a stark contrast in health conditions, a just-published study projects that Israel will skyrocket to seventh in the world for life expectancy in coming decades, whereas Palestinians’ life expectancy will make the world’s sharpest drop.

The study, conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Education (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle, concludes that Israelis will live to 84.4 years by the year 2040. Palestinians are expected to live to 72.2 years.

However, the study does show that life expectancy overall is on the rise. From 2016 to 2040, Israel will gain 2.3 years and Palestinians will gain 0.3 years in lifespan.

From 2016 to 2040, Israel is predicted to move from 13th to 7th place in the world, while Palestinians will move from 114th to 152nd.

Jerusalem’s Taub Center for Social Policy Studies suggested in a 2016 study that Israeli life expectancy is linked to army service. A 2015 CBS study found that Israeli life expectancy has risen by 9 years since 1980, with Ramat Gan boasting the highest lifespan of any Israeli city.

The United States will suffer the highest drop in rank among high-income countries.

The study predicts in 2040 that the top 10 longest living nations are: Spain, with an expected 85.8 years; Japan, 85.7 years; Singapore, 85.4 years; Switzerland, 85.2 years; Portugal, 84.5 years; Italy, 84.5 years; Israel, 84.4 years; France, 84.3 years; Luxembourg, 84.1 years and Australia, 84.1 years.