Maybe it's naive, or perhaps we are prisoners of the moment, but you would think that in a worldwide life expectancy test, the United States would rank very highly, if not be at the absolute top of the class.
Shockingly, in the latest list, there are 40 (count them, 1, 2, 3…40!) other countries whose citizens have an average life expectancy longer than Americans'.
Just 20 year ago, we were a modest, but still lower than you might expect, number 11 on the life expectancy chart. So, what happened, and what are we doing wrong?
Well, the first thing to be thankful for is this: Even though we are slipping in the worldwide ranks, our own average life spans are steadily increasing and are at an all-time high.
In case you're watching the calendar to find out just how much you're cheating the Grim Reaper, the latest average says you should be checking out at 77.9 years old.
Little ol' Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, has the longest life expectancy, at 83.5 years.
But, here are just a few of the problems we face as a nation:
- 45 million Americans have no form of health insurance. This makes them much more likely to ignore serious symptoms, or simply prevents them financially from getting necessary care.
- We're fat! There's no other way to put it. Our obesity rates are through the roof and appear to be climbing faster than we can shovel down hamburgers and french fries.
- Another surprising fact: Relatively speaking, we have an extremely high infant mortality rate, when compared to most industrialized nations. Besides this being terrible in and of itself, an increase in low-age deaths brings our overall average life expectancy way down.
Just remember: These are averages of millions and millions of people. That means you don't have to be just another number or statistic; you can do your best to help bring our average up by living a healthy and long, fulfilling life.
In fact, here are 4 tips on how to live longer starting right now!
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It is really depressing that we take such terrible care of ourselves yet we know that is good and what is bad. I hate to admit that I live in one of the fattest states in the country, I imagine our average life span to be pretty short.