What Countries Have the Highest Life Expectancy in the World?

Life expectancy is often discussed as a single number, but behind it is a complex story about how people live, how societies are structured, and how health is supported over a lifetime. Around the world, average life expectancy varies dramatically, sometimes by decades. Some nations regularly see their populations living well into their 80s, while others struggle to reach the mid-60s.

These differences aren’t accidental. They reflect long-term investments in healthcare, nutrition, education, social stability, and daily lifestyle habits. Increasingly, they also highlight the difference between simply living longer and living better.

Let’s explore which countries have the highest life expectancy in the world and what we can learn from them. 

What Life Expectancy Really Measures

Life expectancy at birth estimates the average number of years a newborn can expect to live based on current mortality rates across all age groups. While it doesn’t predict individual outcomes, it serves as a powerful indicator of a country’s overall health environment.

High life expectancy typically reflects low infant mortality, effective healthcare systems, strong public health infrastructure, manageable rates of chronic disease, and living conditions that support long-term wellness. Lower life expectancy often indicates challenges such as limited access to healthcare, malnutrition, infectious diseases, conflict, or economic instability.

Importantly, life expectancy also captures how well people age, not just how long they survive childhood or early adulthood.

The Countries With the Highest Life Expectancy

Year after year, a small group of countries consistently ranks at the top for life expectancy. While the exact order may shift slightly depending on the data source and year, the same nations appear repeatedly, suggesting that longevity is the result of sustained cultural and structural choices rather than short-term trends.

1. Japan: A Global Longevity Leader

Japan is frequently cited as having the highest life expectancy in the world, with averages reaching the mid-80s. This longevity isn’t driven by cutting-edge medical interventions alone. Instead, it reflects a combination of dietary patterns, social structure, and preventive care.

Traditional Japanese diets emphasize fish, vegetables, fermented foods, and portion control. Daily movement is built into life through activities like walking, cycling, gardening, and community engagement. 

Perhaps most importantly, older adults in Japan often remain socially integrated, maintaining a sense of purpose well into later life. Together, these factors help reduce chronic disease and support healthier aging.

2. Switzerland: Where Healthcare and Quality of Life Intersect

Switzerland consistently ranks among the top countries for life expectancy, with averages in the low-to-mid 80s. Universal access to high-quality healthcare plays a major role, but it’s only part of the story.

High standards of living, clean environments, strong labor protections, and access to outdoor activity all contribute. Preventive care is emphasized, and chronic conditions are often managed early, helping extend both lifespan and healthspan.

3. Singapore: Longevity by Design

Singapore offers a striking example of how policy and planning can influence population health. Despite its dense urban environment, Singapore has engineered systems that promote longevity, like efficient healthcare delivery, strong public health campaigns, walkable infrastructure, and early intervention for chronic disease.

Life expectancy in Singapore rivals the longest-living nations globally, demonstrating that thoughtful urban design and preventive healthcare can offset many risks associated with modern living.

4. Spain and Italy: Mediterranean Longevity

Southern European countries such as Spain and Italy regularly appear near the top of global life expectancy rankings. These nations benefit from the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes whole foods, healthy fats, legumes, vegetables, and moderate portions.

Diet alone doesn’t explain the longevity enjoyed by these countries. Daily movement, strong family ties, slower-paced meals, and social cohesion all support mental and physical health. Aging in these cultures is often seen as a continuation of life, not a withdrawal from it. This attitude toward aging matters more than we realize.

A Note on Monaco

If you were to search for the country with the highest life expectancy, you would likely see Monaco in the search results. Some rankings cite Monaco as having the highest life expectancy in the world, with averages approaching 90 years. However, due to its very small population and unique demographic profile, Monaco is often excluded from standard global comparisons. 

The principality’s results reflect a highly affluent, largely older population with exceptional access to healthcare. These conditions aren’t easily generalizable to larger countries. For that reason, researchers typically look to nations like Japan, Switzerland, and Singapore when identifying global longevity leaders.

Blue Zones and the World’s Longest-Living Populations

Many of the highest-life-expectancy countries are home to or closely connected with regions known as Blue Zones. These are areas where people live significantly longer than average and experience lower rates of chronic disease.

Well-known Blue Zones include Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), and Ikaria (Greece). While each region has unique traditions, they share striking similarities, including plant-forward diets, regular low-intensity movement, strong social bonds, and a clear sense of purpose.

Blue Zones reinforce that longevity is rarely the result of a single habit. Instead, it emerges from environments that make healthy choices the default over decades.

Countries With the Lowest Life Expectancy

While some nations excel at supporting long lives, others face systemic barriers that significantly shorten lifespan. The countries with the lowest life expectancy are often located in parts of sub-Saharan Africa or regions affected by prolonged instability.

In these countries, average life expectancy may fall below 60 years. The reasons are multifaceted and interconnected. Limited access to healthcare means preventable illnesses go untreated. 

Malnutrition weakens the immune system, unsafe water and sanitation contribute to infectious disease, and political conflict and economic hardship compound health risks across generations.

It’s important to recognize that lower life expectancy in these regions is not due to individual behavior alone but reflects structural challenges that require global cooperation and long-term solutions.

Why Some Countries Live Longer Than Others

When comparing the highest- and lowest-ranking countries, several key themes emerge.

• Healthcare access is foundational. Countries with universal or affordable healthcare tend to diagnose and manage disease earlier, reducing premature death. Nutrition also plays a central role, particularly in diets rich in whole foods and healthy fats.

• Lifestyle matters just as much. In long-living countries, movement is woven into daily life rather than confined to exercise sessions. Social connection reduces isolation and stress. Public health infrastructure (clean water, vaccinations, safety regulations) quietly adds years to life expectancy.

Perhaps most importantly, these countries focus on prevention rather than waiting for disease to appear.

Lifespan vs. Healthspan: A Crucial Distinction

While life expectancy tells us how long people live, it doesn’t reveal how many of those years are spent in good health. Increasingly, experts emphasize the important of healthspan. Healthspan is the number of years lived free from chronic disease, disability, or cognitive decline.

Some countries may see rising life expectancy while also experiencing longer periods of poor health at the end of life. The most successful longevity nations aim to extend both lifespan and healthspan, allowing people to remain active, independent, and engaged as they age. This shift reframes longevity not as a race to live longer, but as an effort to age better.

What Individuals and Countries Can Do To Improve Longevity

While national policies shape population-level outcomes, many lessons about longevity are transferable at the individual level.

Countries that excel in life expectancy prioritize preventive care, early intervention, and education around health behaviors. They design environments that encourage movement, limit exposure to harmful substances, and support mental well-being.

On a personal level, consistent daily habits matter more than extreme interventions. Balanced nutrition, regular movement, adequate sleep, stress management, and social connection all contribute to healthier aging. 

The Role of Cellular Health in Longevity

Beyond lifestyle and environment, aging ultimately unfolds at the cellular level. In fact, researchers have identified 12 hallmarks of aging that occur in our cells. Over time, cells become less efficient at managing energy and repairing damage. This gradual decline underlies many age-related conditions.

Research increasingly suggests that supporting cellular health may help slow biological aging and promote resilience as we get older. Nutrition plays a key role here, particularly nutrients that support cell membrane integrity and metabolic function. 

Ensuring that our bodies get the essential nutrients they need is foundational to health and ultimately our longevity and healthspans. One essential nutrient is so impactful that it’s been dubbed “the longevity nutrient.” 

The Role of C15:0

C15:0 is an odd-chain, saturated fatty acid that is essential to our health. Specifically, C15:0 supports our bodies at the cellular level by strengthening cells by 80% and improving mitochondrial function. In addition, studies reveal that C15:0 also helps lower LDL cholesterol, improve the gut microbiome, improve liver enzymes, and target 6 out of 12 of the hallmarks of aging.* 

Unfortunately, global levels of C15:0 are considered lower than optimum. Science supports that a person’s C15:0 level should be between 0.2% and 0.4% of their total fatty acid count. Most people have levels that are far below 0.2%. 

When levels are too low, a nutritional deficiency known as Cellular Fragility Syndrome can occur. This causes cells to become fragile, weak, and age prematurely. 

The good news is that fixing Cellular Fragility Syndrome and increasing your C15:0 levels is easy with changes to your diet or with a pure C15:0 supplement known as fatty15.

Fatty15: The C15:0 Supplement

C15:0 is found in trace amounts in full-fat dairy products like whole milk and full-fat butter. Increasing your intake of these foods would help support your C15:0 levels to some degree, but it would also mean ingesting excess “bad” pro-inflammatory fats and a wallop of calories that probably won’t help your waistline. A good solution is to add a pure C15:0 supplement to your health stack.*

Fatty15 is the first and only supplement that contains the pure, vegan-friendly, patented, and award-winning version of C15:0 called FA15. It contains all the C15:0 you need, and nothing you don’t. At just one calorie per dose and zero known side effects, it’s the easy way to support your long-term health. 

The Future of Global Life Expectancy

Globally, life expectancy has improved dramatically over the past century, but progress is uneven. Some countries continue to see gains through prevention-focused healthcare and healthier lifestyles, while others face setbacks from economic strain or rising chronic disease.

The lesson from the world’s longest-living countries is clear: longevity is not accidental. It’s built slowly, through everyday decisions made by individuals, communities, and governments alike.

FAQs

What are the top 10 countries for life expectancy?

Monaco, Hong Kong, and San Marino consistently rank as the top countries with the highest life expectancy, followed closely by Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Switzerland.

What ethnicity lives the longest?

In the U.S., Asian Americans generally have the longest life expectancy, followed by Hispanic/Latino, White, Black, and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) populations, with significant variations in data years, but Asian Americans consistently lead. 

What does the US rank in life expectancy?

The U.S. ranks relatively low in life expectancy, often placing around 40th to 50th globally, significantly behind most other high-income nations, with projections suggesting a further decline. 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Sources:

Why do the Japanese have the highest life expectancy in the world? | Observatoire de la prévention de l'Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal

Switzerland|World Health Organization

SingStat Website - Death and Life Expectancy | Latest Data

Life Expectancy by Country and in the World (2025) | Worldometer

Hallmarks of aging: An expanding universe | PubMed

Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? | Scientific Reports

A review of odd-chain fatty acid metabolism and the role of pentadecanoic Acid (c15:0) and heptadecanoic Acid (c17:0) in health and disease | PubMed

Effect of an Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet and pentadecanoic acid on fatty liver disease: the TANGO randomized controlled trial | ScienceDirect

Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0), an Essential Fatty Acid, Shares Clinically Relevant Cell-Based Activities with Leading Longevity-Enhancing Compounds