If your looking to increase your odds of living longer, you might want to use the latest geographically-based life expectancy numbers as your guide. If you are a woman, your best shot is in Japan where a girl born today has a life expectancy of 86. For men, the place to be is the small enclave of San Marino, a country in the Apennine Mountains that is completely surrounded by Italy. There, boys born to today can look forward to living an average of 81 years.
San Marino seems like a pretty cool place. It’s the world’s oldest sovereign state and constitutional republic. They once gave Abraham Lincoln honorary citizenship and remained neutral during WWII. What’s their secret to longevity? I’m going with La Torta Di Tre Monti, their famous white layered cake covered in chocolate (if nothing else, it sounds like a decent motivation to go on living).
While several countries saw a dramatic increase in life expectancy since the last report in 1990, wars and horrific dictatorships took a massive toll in other regions. For example, in Zimbabwe, women’s life expectancy fell by 19 years to 44. It’s public policy as slow motion genocide.
In the U.S., men’s life expectancy increased from 72 to 76 while women saw an increase of two years to 81.
(Illustration by Brian Moco)
