Kiwis ranked 17th for expected lifespan 2040

The countries where life expectancy will be highest and lowest by 2040 have been named by scientists — with New Zealand ranked as the 17th highest country in the world.

Spain tops the charts, with people being born in 2040 expected to live until they are 85.8 years old.

Whereas Lesotho, within South Africa, will be worst off, with its average life expectancy likely to be just 57.3 years, according to the Daily Mail.

New Zealand ranked 17th, with a predicted life expectancy of 83.8 years, gaining one place compared with Kiwis born in 2016 having a life span of 81.5 years.

The UK is expected to remain outside of the top 20, ranking 23rd with a lifespan of 83.3, and the US will drop from 43rd to 64th place.

Experts say the improvements of recent generations are likely to slow down because of health problems like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, alcohol and tobacco.

The global health forecasts were made by researchers from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

In research published in medical journal The Lancet, they revealed people in every country in the world are likely to live longer in 2040 than they do now. But the scientists predict there will be a rise in the number of people dying from non-contagious diseases like cancer and lung and kidney disease.