Now Reading: Global gap between lifespan and healthspan widens since 1990
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Global gap between lifespan and healthspan widens since 1990
People globally are living longer but spending more years in poor health, with the morbidity gap, the difference between total life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, rising to 10.7 years in 2023…
The Story in Brief
People globally are living longer but spending more years in poor health, with the morbidity gap, the difference between total life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, rising to 10.7 years in 2023 from 8.8 years in 1990, a study in The Lancet Public Health reveals. In India, the gap reached 10.6 years in 2023, up from 8.4 years in 1990.
The analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows women consistently outlive men but face a larger morbidity gap, 12.1 years globally against 9.3 years for men. Musculoskeletal disorders like low back pain and mental health conditions top the causes, with high blood sugar and obesity as leading risk factors.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that Indians are simply living longer misses an uncomfortable truth: those extra years are often spent in pain or disability. The study shows preventable conditions, back pain, diabetes, depression, are dragging down healthspan, not just old age. Instead of celebrating longevity figures, we should ask why India's morbidity gap grew by 2.2 years in three decades. The real test is whether public health spending shifts from crisis care to managing chronic disease early.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
