👴 Life expectancy continues to increase and surpasses expert predictions

• Life expectancy has increased continuously for over a century.
• Progress in medicine, public health and living standards drives development.
• Scientific predictions about maximum life expectancy are constantly surpassed.

From Sweden to Japan

Life expectancy has risen steadily for over a century. Swedish women held the record in 1840 with a life expectancy of 46 years. Australia then took the lead in 1921, with a life expectancy of 63 years, writes Our World in Data.

For most of the 20th century, Iceland, Norway, Australia, and Sweden alternated in having the world's highest life expectancy. In 1984, Japan took the top position, and since then Japan and Hong Kong have topped the statistics.

Continuous improvements

Japan has continued to raise the bar for life expectancy. Between 1984 and 2010, female life expectancy in Japan increased from 80 to 86 years. This continuous increase is a result of advances in medicine, public health, and living standards.

Experts were wrong

Researchers have repeatedly tried to predict the maximum life expectancy that humans can achieve. In 1928, Dublin published a study claiming that the maximum possible life expectancy was under 65 years. At the same time, New Zealand already had a life expectancy above 65 years.

This pattern has repeated throughout the last century. On average, expert predictions about maximum life expectancy have been surpassed within five years of publication.

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