Compared to the rest of the world, Americans should have long lives. The most sophisticated medical advances globally are usually made in the United States. America has highly-rated medical schools, and students from all over the world want to attend them. Some of the world’s best university hospitals are also in the United States. (These mistakes are aging you too fast.)
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Additionally, the rate of smoking in the United States, a major source of death, has plunged. About 25% of Americans smoke. The figure is the same in Switzerland, and it is higher in Israel, Portugal, Spain, Germany and France. However, Americans rank near the top of the list based on obesity, another major source of serious illness and death.
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It turns out that the United States has one of the shortest life expectancies at birth among all OECD countries. The figure was 76.4 years in 2021. COVID-19 likely helped push the figure down again last year. The United States is nowhere near the nation with the longest life expectancy at birth, Japan, at 84.5 years.
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South Korea is slightly behind Japan at 83.6 years. It is followed closely by Spain at 83.3 years.
What is the reason for the short U.S. lifespan? NPR ran an article that included most of the reasons. Drug deaths were high on the list. So were HIV, car crashes and violence. And, of course, rampant obesity.
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Based on the reasons for U.S. deaths and the fact that, in many cases, they are increasing, the country is unlikely to climb the ladder of age at death anytime soon.
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