New Study Reveals Israelis Live Longer but Spend Over a Decade in Poor Health
A recent global study published in The Lancet Public Health highlights a growing gap between overall life expectancy and healthy life expectancy worldwide, including in Israel. While average global life expectancy increased from 64.6 years in 1990 to 73.8 years in 2023, the years lived in full health rose more slowly, from 55.9 to 63.1 years. This discrepancy, known as the "disease gap," expanded globally from 8.8 years in 1990 to 10.7 years in 2023, meaning people spend more than a decade living with chronic illness, pain, or disability.
In Israel, this gap widened from 9.8 years in 1990 to 11.7 years in 2023, surpassing the global average but remaining below the average for high-income countries. Dr. Nitzan Anno, head of longevity at Maccabi Healthcare Services, emphasized that the key medical challenge is not just extending lifespan but improving the quality of those added years. He noted that modern medicine has transformed fatal diseases into chronic conditions, allowing longer survival but not necessarily better health.
The study identified five main contributors to the disease gap: musculoskeletal disorders (especially lower back pain), mental health issues (depression and anxiety), sensory organ diseases (notably age-related hearing loss), unintentional injuries (mainly falls), and other non-communicable diseases. Key risk factors include high blood sugar, obesity, smoking, air pollution, and malnutrition in children and mothers.
Women tend to live longer than men but also experience more years with illness and disability. In 2023, women globally had a disease gap of 12.1 years (15.9% of their lifespan), compared to 9.3 years (13%) for men. Dr. Anno stressed the importance of early prevention and treatment focusing on maintaining physical and mental function, including muscle strength, balance, hearing, and cognition.
The study calls for a shift in healthcare priorities toward "compressing morbidity", delaying the onset of disease and reducing the duration of poor health. This approach aims to add not only years to life but also life to years, enabling people to remain independent and active longer. Dr. Anno concluded that the next medical revolution will be measured by the quality of life and functional ability, not just longevity.
