By definition, life expectancy describes the average expected length of a person's life. According to the stats, the current life expectancy for the entire world (in 2021) is 72.81 years, representing a slight increase (0.24%) from 2020 - life expectancy has doubled since 1900.

Before COVID, the life expectancy in the United States was 78.7 years, and some of the richest countries in this world have even longer life expectancies (usually over 80 years).

For example, in 2019, the life expectancies in Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden and Australia were over/almost 83 years, whereas in Japan it was close to 85 years (highest in the world).On the other hand, in some of the developing countries, the life expectancy is way shorter, usually between 50 and 60 years. For instance, in 2019, the Central African Republic has the lowest life expectancy: 53 years.

Gender-wise, studies have shown that, in almost every country, the life expectancy of women is higher than the life expectancy of men, and the difference of the life expectancy between women and men can be around 5 years. For some countries, this gap is even larger (6-8 years).

According to researchers' forecast, human life expectancy will keep growing in the following decades, with some of the countries reaching a life expectancy of 90 years (or more). For example, the life expectancies of Japan and Sweden are projected to reach 90 years in 2066 and 2081, respectively.

As you may know, one of the most important inputs and driving forces of this growing life expectancy is the continuous progress and advancement of healthcare and medical technologies. Hence, it is crucial for everyone to get financially (for example, cash, insurance, or both) prepared for the needed health care in the future.