Singapore Has the World’s Longest, Healthiest Lives – but It Comes With a Hidden Cost

A global study in The Lancet Public Health found that life expectancy has risen faster than healthy life expectancy in nearly all countries since 1990.

Singapore still leads the world in both longevity and healthy longevity, but its morbidity gap widened by about 2.35 years from 1990 to 2023.

The trend means people are living longer, but spending more of those extra years with illness or disability, especially women.

Researchers from IHME, NUS Medicine, and the University of Washington warn this will increase pressure on health systems and aging policy.