How old can people expect to live? Where in the world do people live the longest?
Do you ever wish you were older? Most kids do. But just how old can you expect to live? The answer: probably longer than your parents, especially if you take care of yourself.
Fun Facts
- For many centuries, the average life span was around 30 to 40 years. Poor nutrition, lack of medical care, hard work, and disease meant that most people didn’t live very long. In fact, many people died before they even reached adulthood.
- Today, with clean water, good medical care, healthy food, and safe conditions, people are living longer than ever before. Most people in the U.S. can expect to live between 65 and 80 years.
- Scientists and doctors are always interested in finding ways to increase our life expectancy, or how long we can expect to live. There are many ways to improve your chances of living longer. Most of them will also allow you to have a happier, healthier life. These include things that keep you physically healthy like getting enough sleep, visiting the doctor and dentist regularly, eating a healthy diet, and exercising every day. Staying healthy emotionally and mentally is important too. People who have a strong network of family and friends tend to live longer. Having hobbies and things to do is also important.
- Someone who lives to be 100 or more is called a Experts estimate there are about 70,000 centenarians in the U.S. Jeanne Calment of France lived to be 122 years old. Others have probably lived to be older than her, but she is the oldest person for whom records have been verified. She died in 1997.
- At the age of 117, Nabi Tajima, of Japan, was the oldest known person living in 2018. Nabi passed away on April 21st 2018 (rest in peace Nabi).
Questions and Answers
Question: Does where you live play a role in how long you live?
Answer: To some extent, yes. People who live where they can get good food, clean water, and medical care will probably live longer than those who don’t. In some parts of the world, violence and war are still big problems.
Learn More
Find out what your life expectancy is based on where you live.
