A new report launched today by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) finds that:

• Over the past decades, life expectancy has significantly improved across the G20.Countries with the lowest life expectancy have seen the greatest improvements during this time. Between 2000 and 2016, Russia, South Korea and India saw a 6-year boost in life expectancy, thus slowly closing the gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest countries in the G20.
• Across the G20, there has been a shift from cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death to cancer, which overtook cardiovascular conditions in 2016 due to improvements in prevention, detection and treatment.
• Neurological conditions, including dementia, are now the leading cause of death in richer countries, including the US, UK and Saudi Arabia.

However, the report also warns that while overall improvements in life expectancy are promising, too many years are still lost due to preventable causes. The “Years lost” report finds that:

• In 2000, life expectancy could have been 4.1 years higher if deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD)had been prevented.
• In 2016, life expectancy could have been 4.3 years higher if deaths from cancer had been avoided.

“Now while this is of course a hypothetical scenario and we can’t prevent all deaths, this gives us a proxy as to how many lost years of life expectancy have been hidden by overarching improvements in life expectancy we have seen over the past decades”, argues ILC Research Fellow Arun Himawan.

“While we can’t prevent all conditions, we know there’s a lot more we could be doing to help people stay healthy, active and independent for longer and address health inequalities.”

“In the aftermath of COVID-19’s disastrous effects across the world, the case for investing in preventative health becomes urgent”, adds ILC’s Global Policy and Influencing Manager ILC.

The International Longevity Centre UK calls on governments across the G20 to invest at least 6% of their health budgets on preventative services like vaccines, screenings and early intervention.

“Most countries are currently far from this target”, says Lily Parsey. “The average across the OECD is 2.8%, with the highest spender Canada currently spending 6%. We know this target is achievable and an important starting point. But it’s also just that. Thinking long-term, we need to continue to raise this in line with the rise in preventable diseases and an ageing society to promote health, not just treat disease.”

Notes

Download our Years lost: Boosting life expectancy through preventative health interventions report here.

Find out more about our Delivering prevention in an ageing world programme here.