Life expectancy

Jaclyn Adamson, Editor-in-Chief

With the advancements in technology and medicine, people are living longer. That is not a new fact, but it was reported that life expectancy world wide is at an all time high. These predictions are for the year 2030 and find that women will live to be an average of 85 years old. Men will live until about 80.

According to a medical journal entitled The Lancet, 35 industrial countries will see a rise in life expectancy in the coming years. South Korea will lead the countries with a female expectancy of almost 90 years. That will be a six year jump from 2010. With the way life is progressing, there is every possibility that more countries will exceed the 90 year mark. It is also theorized that the gap between the sexes will decrease with time.

Despite the advancements in developed countries, the United States did not climb in life expectancy. It is estimated to be 83 years for women and 79 years for men. There is a bigger chance of dying at 40 or 50 in the United States due to obesity, heart disease and car accidents. It is also thought that no universal health care can put a dent in life expectancy.

According to CNN.com, the booming economy in Asia is responsible for the hike in age. More money leads to more innovation, which will create a more comfortable and healthy life for the citizens.

The third-world countries with the lowest expectancy project women will reach 75 and men will reach 70. This could mean almost a 20 year age gap between countries.

Longer life is a cause for celebration, but issues like insurance policies and social security are ones that have yet to bet addressed. People retiring at 70 could have 20 more year left to live and nothing to do. 2030 may seem like far away, but it seems like these problems are just being left for the younger generation to deal with.