People are living 10 YEARS longer than ever before but spend more time suffering from illness in old age

  • Across the world, men now live until they are 69 while women reach 75
  • But the time someone spends in good health increased by just 6 years 
  • Experts believe this is due to a cut in deaths for HIV/AIDS and malaria
  • The rate of people dying from heart disease and cancer has also fallen
  • But dementia, strokes and diabetes, cause 7 out of 10 deaths worldwide

Our health is improving and we are living longer than ever before, a new study has revealed.

Even in some of the world's poorest nations life expectancy is rising, with an overall gain of 10 years since 1980.  

Worldwide, men can now expect to live til they are 69 while women reach just short of their 75th birthday. 

But healthy life expectancy - the number of years a person lives in good health - is also growing.

However, it only increased by six years, suggesting people may be living longer but they spend more time with an illness or disability.  

Men can now expect to live til they are 69 while women reach just short of their 75th birthday on a worldwide average - 10 years longer than ever before, a study found

Experts believe this is due to large falls in death rates for many infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, malaria and diarrhoea. 

The rate of people dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer has also fallen - but at a slower pace, researchers discovered. 

But non-communicable diseases that have lifestyle origins, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, cause seven out of 10 deaths, researchers claim.

Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, which led the study, said its results painted a picture of patchy health gains across the world, driven in part by economic development.

'Development drives, but does not determine health,' he said in a statement as the findings were published in The Lancet medical journal.

'We see countries that have improved far faster than can be explained by income, education or fertility. 

But non-communicable diseases that have lifestyle origins, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, cause seven out of 10 deaths, scientists discovered

But non-communicable diseases that have lifestyle origins, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, cause seven out of 10 deaths, scientists discovered

'And we also continue to see countries - including the United States - that are far less healthy than they should be given their resources.'

As well as life expectancy, the The Global Burden of Disease study, analysed 249 causes of death, 315 diseases and injuries and 79 risk factors in 195 countries and territories between 1990 and 2015.

It is recognised as the most authoritative work on global causes of disease and early death.

The study shows the key drivers of ill health, disability and death in individual countries.  

It also estimates healthy life expectancy - the number of years people can expect to live in good health.

It found that while healthy life expectancy had increased in 191 of 195 countries - by 6.1 years - between 1990 and 2015, it had not risen as much as overall life expectancy, meaning people are living more years with illness and disability.

Diabetes, which is often linked to people being overweight or obese, and drug use disorders, caused a disproportionate amount of ill health and early death in the US

Diabetes, which is often linked to people being overweight or obese, and drug use disorders, caused a disproportionate amount of ill health and early death in the US

Among the world's wealthier regions, North America had the worst healthy life expectancy at birth for both men and women.

Diabetes, which is often linked to people being overweight or obese, and drug use disorders, caused a disproportionate amount of ill health and early death in the US, it found. 

There has been progress in reducing unsafe water and sanitation, but diet, obesity and drug use are an increasing threat, it said.

More than 275,000 women died in pregnancy or childbirth in 2015, mostly from preventable causes. 

Deaths of children under the age of five have halved since 1990, but there has been slower progress on reducing newborn deaths.  

It also found headaches, tooth cavities and hearing and vision loss affect more than 1 in 10 people worldwide.

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