S Korean women top life expectancy predictions

LONDON: South Korean women could be the first to break the90-year life expectancy barrier, according to a study published on Wednesday.

Scientists at Imperial College London worked with the World Health Organization to analyse data from 35 industrialised countries to predict how life expectancy could change by 2030.

The study published in the Lancet medical journal found that a baby girl born in South Korea in 2030 could expect to live to 90.8 years,while baby boys would have a life expectancy of 84.1, also the highest among other countries.

Lead researcher Majid Ezzati said scientists had once thought that an average life expectancy of 90 was impossible but that the findings showed this was no longer the case. He put South Koreans’ longevity down to a number of possible factors including good childhood nutrition, low blood pressure, low levels of smoking, good access to healthcare and uptake of new medical knowledge and technology.

The study also showed that the United States would have the lowest life expectancy at birth among high-income countries by 2030. At 83.3years for women and 79.5 years for men it would be similar to middle-income countries like Mexico and Croatia, it said.

Japan, where women currently have the longest life expectancies in the world, was one of the countries likely to see the least increases in longevity by 2030. Sweden, the US, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia also had low projected gains. Ezzati said the results showed that countries needed to plan to cope with ageing populations, including looking at pensions, retirement ages and healthcare.