The Ministry of Health has published updated data on life expectancy in Spain and who are the Spaniards who live the longest, showing a slight recovery after the impact of the pandemic, which has had a devastating effect, especially on the elderly and vulnerable population. In 2022, life expectancy at birth stood at 83.1 years, including 80.3 years for men and 85.8 years for women. Although this number represents a Increase of 0.8 years Compared to 2020, it remains lower than the 83.5 years reached in 2019. The pandemic has caused a 1.5 year drop in life expectancyinterrupting the upward trend that had been maintained since 2006.
At the international level, Spain, which before the pandemic was one of the countries oldest countries in the worldis now behind Japan, Switzerland and South Korea. At the regional level, the differences are notable; While Ceuta and Melilla have the lowest life expectancy with 80.1 years, the Community of Madrid leads with 85.2 years. Regarding life expectancy at 65 years, 21.2 years were recorded in 2022, indicating that although there have been some recovery from the pandemicpre-2019 levels have not yet been reached. Additionally, healthy life expectancy at birth was 79.3 years, reflecting a possible downward trend. increase in chronic diseases in the older population.
Spaniards live the longest
The Ministry of Health’s report on life expectancy in Spain reveals that in 2022 this figure was 83.1 years, a tenth less than in 2021, although it represents a slight recovery compared to to 2020 data, when the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on mortality, particularly among the elderly.
Life expectancy at birth is highest in Community of Madridreaching 85.2 years, while Ceuta and Melilla present the lowest figure, with 80.1 years. In terms of regional variations, Navarra is in second place with 83.9 years, followed by Castilla y León (83.8), Catalonia (83.6) and the Basque Country (83.6). On the other hand, the communities with the lowest life expectancy, after Ceuta and Melilla, are Andalusia (81.9), the Canary Islands (82.0) and the Murcia region (82.0).
Furthermore, the report shows a mixed evolution in life expectancy between 2021 and 2022, with increases in certain regions, such as Ceuta and Melillawhere the figure increased by 0.6 years, and Andalusia, which saw an increase of 0.3 years. However, in other communities, such as the Canary Islands and Cantabria, significant declines were recorded, with the Canary Islands being the ones that suffered the most, with a reduction of 1.2 years. The gap in life expectancy between men and women is notable, reaching 5.5 years, with women living to 85.8 years and men to 80.3 years.
The report also highlights that healthy years of life at birth They amount to 79.3 among Spaniards, with a slight decrease compared to the previous year, which suggests an increase in chronic diseases and limitations that affect the quality of life of the elderly population.
Ranking of life expectancy at birth in the autonomous communities (2022)
The life expectancy of Spaniards in 2022 was 83.1 years on average, with 80.3 years for men and 85.8 years for women.
- Community of Madrid: 85.2 years
- Navarre: 83.9 years
- Castile and León: 83.8 years
- the Basque Country: 83.6 years
- Catalonia: 83.6 years
- Castile-La Mancha: 83.4 years
- Galicia: 83.4 years
- La Rioja: 83.2 years
- Aragon: 83.0 years
- Cantabria: 83.0 years
- Balearic Islands: 82.9 years
- Valencian Community: 82.6 years
- Asturias: 82.5 years
- Extremadura: 82.4 years
- Murcia: 82.0 years
- Canary Islands: 82.0 years
- Andalusia: 81.9 years
- Ceuta and Melilla: 80.1 years
Study of longevity in the future
Jay Olshansky, a renowned gerontologisthas faced much criticism throughout his career due to his stances on longevity. Thirty years ago he predicted that the life expectancy of children would not exceed 85 years, which caused controversy because many believed that a large proportion of newborns could live to be 100 years old. However, studies since have shown that their predictions were correct, validating their theories about the stagnation of increases in life expectancy.
In a recent interview, Olshansky explained that his team had already anticipated in 1990 that the growth in life expectancy would slow down and medical interventions would have less and less impact. An analysis published in the magazine Natural aging reveals that the chances of a girl born in 2019 reaching the age of 100 are just 5.1%, while for boys the figure drops to 1.8%. Factors such as the rise in obesity and related diseases have contributed to this slowdown.
Despite medical advances that have extended life, Olshansky points out that they have created “manufactured time” rather than natural health improvements. Although there is hope in the area of geroscienceOlshansky is skeptical that these advances can be effectively applied to humans in the future.
