Longest Life Expectancy

In general, people are living longer, but what are the best places to hang out if you’re looking to really push that life expectancy envelope?

Not the good old U.S.A., it seems. Among the world’s nations, America’s average life expectancy of 78.14 years ranks just 46th overall, according to this year’s CIA Factbook.

On the other hand, that’s a whole lot better than Iraq, which checks it No. 142 with an average life expectancy of 69.62 years, or Afghanistan (No. 214/44.21).

Who’s last? The 223rd and final spot goes to Swaziland, where the average expectancy is just 31.99 years.

Health care, nutrition and lifestyle weigh strongly in longevity issues. In the United States, the lack of universal health care is blamed in part for the disappointing numbers.

On the brighter side, here are the most promising locales for living to a ripe old age:

  1. Macau: 84.33 years
  2. Andorra: 82.67
  3. Japan: 82.07
  4. Singapore: 81.89
  5. San Marino: 81.88
  6. Hong Kong: 81.77
  7. Australia: 81.53
  8. Canada: 81.16
  9. France: 80.87
10. Sweden: 80.74

Source: CIA Factbook