Life Expectancy

I was surprised to read in The Costco Connection (July 2007, page 65), that that average life expectancy for men in 1907 was only 45 years, compared to 78 years in 2007.

That got me to wondering how life expectancy has changed over the years.

According to wikipedia, it really didn't change all that much until the 20th century. It was about 30 until the early modern Britain (16th, 17th, 18th century) when it reached about 40. And now its near 70.

The average life expectancy in Colonial America was under 25 years in the Virginia colony, and in New England about 40% of children failed to reach adulthood. During the Industrial Revolution, the life expectancy of children increased dramatically.[20] The percentage of children born in London who died before the age of five decreased from 74.5% in 1730-1749 to 31.8% in 1810-1829.

Public health measures are credited with much of the recent increase in life expectancy. During the 20th century, the average lifespan in the United States increased by more than 30 years, of which 25 years can be attributed to advances in public health.

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We're living in a unique time.

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[7/26/10] TOKYO — Japanese women are expected to live longer than 86 years, topping the world longevity ratings for the 25th consecutive year, according to a government report released Monday.

The statistics for 2009 compiled and published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed both Japanese women and men extended their average life expectancy to new records — 86.44 years for women and 79.59 years for men. Average life spans rose by almost five months for women and nearly four months for men compared to the previous year.

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Looking up world longevity rankings (which turned up life expectancy, Japan tops the list at 82.6. The United States is at no. 38 at 78.2. Swaziland is at the bottom of the list at 39.6.