Living Longer but in Worse Health: Large-Scale Study Reveals Alarming Trend

Although modern medicine has achieved significant success in extending human life, a new large-scale study published in The Lancet Public Health questions the quality of these additional years. According to the analysis, which covers 204 countries, the increase in average life expectancy is not accompanied by a corresponding improvement in health status.

The data shows that in 2023, people around the world spent an average of 14.5% of their time lived with some forms of illness or physical disabilities. The problem is that longer life is increasingly extending the period of infirmity into middle age, rather than simply shifting it to the very latest years of the human lifespan.

What causes the "morbidity gap"?

The term "morbidity gap" describes the difference between total life expectancy and the period of healthy life. The largest difference is observed in developed countries such as the USA, Australia, and Canada, where this share reaches 15.7%.

The main factor for this trend is non-fatal but chronic conditions, which contribute to over 57% of the global difference. Among the most common problems are:

• musculoskeletal disorders (such as chronic back pain);
• mental disorders;
• sensory deficits (such as hearing loss);
• unintentional injuries.

The need for change in healthcare systems

Experts insist on an urgent change in the priorities of global healthcare systems. Instead of focusing solely on "lifespan," they should focus on "healthspan."

This requires strategic investments in prevention, rehabilitation, mental health care, and more effective management of chronic diseases. According to the authors of the study, such an approach would bring not only a better quality of life for individuals but also significant economic benefits for society.