Global life expectancy has increased, but people are spending more of those additional years in poor health, according to a new study [1].
This trend suggests that medical advancements are extending the length of life without necessarily improving the quality of those years. The widening gap between total life expectancy and healthy life expectancy creates a growing burden of chronic disease, and long-term disability for aging populations.
Researchers of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study published their findings in The Lancet Public Health [1]. The data analyzed the period from 1990 to 2023 [2]. During this timeframe, global life expectancy rose from 64.6 years to 73.8 years [2].
Despite these gains in longevity, the study found that healthy life expectancy has not kept pace. Most populations now spend a decade or more in poor health [2]. On a global scale, people spend approximately 14% of their lives in poor health [3].
The morbidity gap is most pronounced in the U.S. [4]. According to the research, people in America spend about 14 years in poor health [4]. This represents the widest gap among the regions studied, indicating that U.S. residents face a particularly high burden of illness relative to their total lifespan.
The study concludes that while the world is succeeding in preventing premature death, it is failing to maintain health into old age. This disparity is driven by the rise of chronic conditions that persist for years before death occurs [1, 2].
“People are living longer but spending more years in poor health.”
The widening morbidity gap indicates a shift in the global health crisis from acute, fatal diseases to chronic, long-term management. For healthcare systems, this means a transition from a focus on life-saving interventions to a need for sustained, long-term care and disability support. The extreme gap in the U.S. highlights a specific failure to align longevity with wellness, potentially placing an unsustainable strain on social and medical infrastructure.
