resembles the top 20(ish) of the Global Peace Index. Its top five, in descending order, being Spain (23rd on the GPI); Australia (12th); Singapore (21st); Switzerland (9th); and Japan (10th), with life expectancies spanning 82.8 to 83.7 years. (New Zealand is placed 17th, with a life expectancy of 81.6.)
“The jimjilbang (public bathhouse) brings together people to recreate, to socialise and to help reduce stress,” Camille Hoheb, founder of Wellness Tourism Worldwide, tells the BBC. “In South Korea, there’s also an overall sense of mindfulness that comes with the Buddhist mindset and an overall attitude toward a culture of cooperation versus individualism.” Though, as Ezzati points out, many experts believe the average human life expectancy is unlikely to stretch much past 90, we still need to be better prepared in terms of social care and pensions: “… even if there is a limit to longevity, we are nowhere near it. We should be planning for more life.” — Words: Jamie Christian Desplaces
League of Nations 1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
5TH
ICELAND
DENMARK
AUSTRIA
NZ
PORTUGAL
WEALTHIEST COUNTRIES , PER CAPITA (STATS FROM INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND)
QATAR
LUXEMBOURG
SINGAPORE
BRUNEI
IRELAND
HEALTHIEST COUNTRIES (STATS FROM BLOOMBERG GLOBAL INDEX)
ITALY
ICELAND
SWITZERLAND
SINGAPORE
AUSTRALIA
MOST ACTIVE COUNTRIES (BY STEPS PER DAY. STATS FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY)
CHINA
JAPAN
RUSSIA
SOUTH KOREA
UK
LEAST TOXIC COUNTRIES (STATS FROM ECO EXPERTS, INCLUDING WHO DATA)
KENYA
TANZANIA
ETHIOPIA
MOZAMBIQUE
CAMEROON
LUXEMBOURG
CANADA
NZ
ICELAND
IRELAND
SWITZERLAND
FINLAND
NORWAY
JAPAN
SAFEST COUNTRIES (STATS FROM GLOBAL PEACE INDEX)
MOST TOLERANT COUNTRIES (STATS FROM THE LEGATUM PROSPERITY INDEX)
BEST COUNTRIES FOR GREEN LIVING (STATS FROM YALE UNIVERSITY’S ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDEX)
SWEDEN
DEC 2017
“South Korea has caught up with Japan as its standard of living has increased, but in many parts of Asia, young people are eating Western diets,” says Sarah Harper, professor of gerontology at Oxford University. “The (previous) healthy diet may not be sustained as young people reach older ages.” Majid Ezzati, professor of global environmental health at Imperial College, who led the WHO study, says that the South Koreans are leading the way in terms of investing in childhood nutrition and education, adding: “What South Korea has done goes completely against some Western countries… against the prosperity agenda.”
//
The obvious outlier when comparing the peacefulness and longevity rankings is South Korea. Coming in at 47 on the Global Peace Index (and just 56 on the happiness one), it is not only ranked 11th on the current life expectancy list, but projected to be the first nation to average a life expectancy of 90 thanks to an ever-strengthening economy, solid healthcare, a diet rich in fermented foods said to boost immunity and ward off cancer, coupled with low smoking- and blood pressure rates compared with Western countries. (There’s more bad news for the US, whose life expectancy at birth is predicted to drop to one of the lowest among high-income nations, at 83.3 years for women, and 79.5 years for men—five years lower than much of Western Europe).
"Many experts believe the average human life expectancy is unlikely to stretch much past 90..."
HEALTH & BEAUTY
Japan has long held the longevity crown, with one area in particular, Okinawa, so famed for producing centenarians that it is nicknamed the ‘land of immortals’. Their long lifespans are put down to plenty of tofu and sweet potato, a regular intake of fish, and a strong sense of community. Spain is famed for its olive oil-rich Mediterranean diet, good red wines, and an inclination to walk whenever possible; while Singapore combines one of the world’s best healthcare systems with eye-watering taxes on both booze and tobacco.
69