The gap between living long and living healthy is growing

January 13, 2025

An empty hospital bed

(Washington Post via MSN) – There was a 9.6-year gap between years lived in good health and total lifespans among people living in 183 countries, and the United States had the greatest “healthspan”-lifespan gap of any of them, according to research in JAMA Network Open.

The gap means that on average, 9.6 years of people’s lives are burdened by disease. Researchers studied data from the World Health Organization’s 183 member states and concluded that the United States had the greatest chronic disease burden of all WHO members, and a healthy years-lifespan gap of 12.4 years. (Read More)