Study: South Korean Women Will Live the Longest By 2030

February 23, 2017

A new study predicted that South Koreans will take the lead of having the longest life expectancy by 2030.

In a study by The Lancet, led by public health researcher Majid Ezzati from the Imperial College of London, life expectancy was projected for 35 countries by 2030. The result showed most favorable for South Koreans who are predicted to take the lead, leaving behind Japan. The study was backed by data collected by the World Health Organization, according to Nature.com.

The study showed that South Korean women have around a 60% chance to exceed 90 years by 2030. Ezzati’s team suggests that women and men who are born that year will have an average life expectancy of 91 and 84, respectively.

However, the United States did not perform as hoped in the recent research. According to the authors of the study, the U.S. is already behind other developed countries and is expected to fall even further behind by the year 2030.

South Korea’s rapid development in their economy, health care, and child nutrition are major factors for this prediction. In comparison to other countries, South Korea also has lower blood pressure and higher appreciation to healthier food choices and lifestyle.

In addition to their study, Yahoo reported that the major reason why women seem to always exceed men in life expectancy boils down to one factor — unhealthier lifestyles. Higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption led to women having longer life years compared to men. But the study also added that the gap will decrease between sexes because of the healthy lifestyle trend going on nowadays.

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