Study Reveals Living Longer Does Not Necessarily Mean Living Healthier

Humans are now living longer than previous generations. However, this increase in life expectancy has not always been accompanied by additional years lived in good health.

A new global study published in The Lancet Public Health shows that in nearly all of the 204 countries and territories analysed, gains in life expectancy have outpaced gains in healthy life expectancy.

According to Euro News on Monday (24/8/2026), the findings indicate that more people are reaching old age, but also spending a larger proportion of their lives with illness, health disorders, or disabilities that do not directly cause death. Globally, in 2023, the average person spent around 14.5 percent of their life in poor health.

Global life expectancy has risen dramatically over the past century, reaching around 73.8 years. This progress has been driven by declines in infectious diseases, reductions in maternal and child mortality, and advances in the prevention and treatment of various chronic diseases.

However, the researchers argue that success in extending life must be followed by a shift in how health development is approached. The focus is no longer sufficient if it only covers lifespan, or how long a person lives; it must also include healthspan, meaning how long a person can live in good health and remain able to carry out their daily functions.

Wealthy Countries Face a Larger Morbidity Gap

The study found that countries with the highest life expectancy also tend to have more years lived in poor health. In 2023, people in high-income countries spent an average of 15.7 percent of their lives in poor health.

The Netherlands recorded one of the largest absolute increases. The proportion of life spent in poor health rose from 13.2 percent in 1990 to 15.7 percent in 2023.

Meanwhile, the largest morbidity gaps were found in the United States, Australia, and Canada. By contrast, people in Nauru, the Solomon Islands, and Laos experienced relatively smaller morbidity gaps, with fewer years spent in poor health.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the morbidity gap was around nine years, one of the smallest globally. These differences show that a long life is not always synonymous with a better quality of life.

In several countries, medical and social progress has succeeded in helping people live longer, but has not yet been able to prevent long periods of life accompanied by health disorders and disability.

Nonfatal Conditions Are the Largest Contributor

The researchers found that nonfatal health conditions accounted for 57.4 percent of the global morbidity gap. These conditions do not always cause death, but can leave a person living longer with functional limitations or a decline in health quality.

Some of the main causes include musculoskeletal disorders such as lower back pain, mental health disorders, diseases of the sensory organs such as age-related hearing loss, and various unintentional injuries.

In low-income countries, the picture is more complex. Malnutrition, respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases also contribute significantly to the health gap.

The study also identified several risk factors, including high body mass index, child and maternal malnutrition, tobacco use, high fasting plasma glucose, and air pollution.

Drug use and high alcohol consumption were among the top ten risk factors, particularly in very high-income regions. Meanwhile, unsafe sex was one of the main risk factors in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A Major Challenge for Health Systems

The findings raise questions about the sustainability of social and health services amid an ageing population. If people live longer but also spend more years with chronic disease or disability, demand for health services, rehabilitation, mental health care, assistive technology, and long-term care will grow.

The lead author of the study, Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said that future improvements in population health cannot be achieved simply by making people live longer. He argued that society also needs to be helped to live those additional years in better health.

“Future improvements in population health will not only be achieved by helping people live longer, but also by helping them live healthier,” Murray said.

He stressed that success in healthy ageing should be measured not only by lifespan, but also by healthspan. Investment therefore needs to be increased in disease prevention, long-term disease management, and chronic disease care.

Investment in Healthy Ageing Considered More Important

Catherine Bisignano, one of the study’s authors, said improving the quality of healthy ageing requires greater attention to the various conditions and risk factors that cause years of life to be lost to disability.

“Addressing these issues early through prevention and better long-term care could have a significant social, economic, and health system impact,” she said.

The researchers also noted that economic modelling shows investment in improving health during the ageing process has the potential to deliver greater financial returns than simply extending life by eliminating specific diseases.

The study therefore calls for sustained investment in disease prevention, rehabilitation, mental health services, chronic disease management, assistive technology, and integrated long-term care models.

The main message of the research is simple: human success is not only measured by how long a person lives, but also by how long they can live healthily and remain able to function independently. With the world’s population continuing to age, the future health challenge is no longer just about adding years to life expectancy, but about ensuring that those additional years are quality years.