More ofhalf of the babiesthat are born today in the rich countries of the worldthey will live a hundred years, according to the magazineThe Lancet. To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed data from more than 30 developed countries and found thatsince 1950 the probability of surviving beyond the age of 80 has doubled for both sexes. The key to this long life expectancy, experts believe, are the healthiest behaviors that are being acquired at all ages.
“We analyze what has happened in the past and what the trends have been so far. And we discover an extraordinary and constant pattern that shows that in the last 150 years there has been a very stable increase in life prospects in rich countries,” says Professor Kaare Christensen, from the Danish Center for Research on Aging and head of the research.
And it’s not just that humans now live twice as long as they did a century ago; current evidence suggests that people are living longer and longer with fewer disabilities and fewer functional limitations. Projecting current trends into the future, everything indicates that babies born today will live an entire century.
In 1950, Christensen says, there was a 15% to 16% chance that a woman would survive the 80s and 90s and a 12% chance that a man would survive them. In 2002, these figures increased to 37% for women and 25% for men.
Before this increase in longevity, scientists affirm that humans today can consider that they havefour stages in life: childhood, adulthood, young old age and old age.
In this last stage, the research found that between 30% and 40% of the individuals studied between 92 and 100 years were independent. Another study in the United States carried out with the “supercentenarians” (people between 110 and 119 years old) shows that, even at that very old age, 40% of these people need little help or are independent.
In contrast, Christensen recalls, in some low- and middle-income countries, life expectancies are declining. OnRussiathe longevity of men is at levels lower than ever (65 years). And according to the United Nations,in Mozambique and SwazilandIn the nations with the lowest life prospects in the world, a baby born today will live between 39 and 42 years.
