What is healthy life expectancy?
Healthy life expectancy is a new health index advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is defined as the average length of time without restrictions on daily life. This refers to the period during which activities of daily living are independent and healthy1 )2) .
Japan has one of the longest healthy life expectancies in the world, but the average life expectancy *1 is also increasing year by year. As the gap between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy increases, the length of time people need long-term care increases, lowering the quality of life of individuals and increasing social security burdens such as medical expenses and long-term care benefits.
Therefore, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is aiming to realize a “social security system for all generations” in which all citizens can live longer and healthier lives, and all generations can feel secure. By 2016, the healthy life expectancy of both men and women will be extended by at least 3 years compared to 2016, and the goal is to reach the age of 75 or older (link 1).
Comparison of healthy life expectancy in the world and healthy life expectancy in Japan
Let’s take a look at the ranking of healthy life expectancy in the world. Looking at the global healthy life expectancy in 2016 for 183 countries announced by the World Health Organization (WHO), Japan ranks second in terms of healthy life expectancy. 1st is Singapore, 3rd is Spain, 4th is Switzerland and 5th is France,
| Ranking of countries with long healthy life expectancy | Country name | Healthy life expectancy (years) |
|---|---|---|
| First place | Singapore | 76.2 |
| 2nd place | Japan | 74.8 |
| 3rd place | Spain | 73.8 |
| 4th | Switzerland | 73.5 |
| 5th place | France | 73.4 |
If you just look at the comparison of healthy life expectancy around the world, you might think that Japan is the country with the largest number of people living a healthy life expectancy, but let’s also look at the difference between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.
Difference between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy
Among the data of 183 countries in the world (identical values are ranked 1 to 47 in the same ranking), the difference in average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy among the top 5 countries with the longest healthy life expectancy is excluding Singapore, which is ranked 5th. is ranked 30th or lower, which results in a lower ranking (Table 2).
In countries with long healthy life expectancy, the average life expectancy is longer than the healthy life expectancy, so the difference between the average life expectancy and the healthy life expectancy is large, and the period of time when health is impaired and nursing care is required becomes longer.
| Ranking of healthy life expectancy | Country name | Healthy life expectancy (years) | Life expectancy (years) | Difference between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (years) | Ranking of difference between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First place | Singapore | 76.2 | 82.9 | 6.7 | 5th place |
| 2nd place | Japan | 74.8 | 84.2 | 9.4 | 31st place |
| 3rd place | Spain | 73.8 | 83.1 | 9.3 | 30th place |
| 4th | Switzerland | 73.5 | 82.9 | 9.8 | 35th place |
| 5th place | France | 73.4 | 83.3 | 9.5 | 32nd place |
On the other hand, countries with a small difference between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are African countries such as Somalia, Sierra Leone, and Equatorial Guinea. These countries are characterized by short average life expectancy (53.1-59.5 years) and healthy life expectancy (47.6-53.8 years).
Characteristics of countries with long healthy life expectancy
Next, let’s look at the characteristics of Singapore, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and France, which are countries with long healthy life expectancies. The common characteristics of these countries are:
- Long life expectancy of over 82 years
- Except for Singapore, the gap between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy is as long as 9 years or more.
- An economically developed country by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 4)
- Other than Singapore, it is a developed country and a member of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development).
- Pensions and medical expenditures account for two-thirds of public social expenditures in OECD member countries, with social security expenditures for the elderly and healthcare being large5) .
- Per capita social security costs are higher than the average for all OECD countries6 ) (Graph 1, Table 3)
- A country with a high aging rate (Japan 1st, France 11th, Spain 14th, Switzerland 25th, Singapore 57th) 7 )
