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Where do long-lived people live?

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
 
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25 December 2012, 18:56

Where do people live the longest? Web2Health presents the top ten countries with the highest life expectancy.

10. Guernsey: 80.42 years

10. Guernsey: 80.42 years

Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel that is not part of the United Kingdom. The island is home to about 65,000 people. The secret to their longevity is simple - they live in prosperity, which allows them to eat healthy food and pay for top-notch health care. The Guernsey Crown Dependency has very low taxes, which attracts successful entrepreneurs, as well as financiers and other workers with high salaries and good working conditions.

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9. Australia: 80.5

9. Australia: 80.5

Life expectancy in Australia could be even higher if the local Aborigines lived in the same conditions as white Australians. But due to a lower standard of living, Aborigines live on average 20 years less than colonizers and immigrants. However, researchers suspect that soon the white population of the continent will also not live as long as they do now, since obesity is becoming a threatening problem for Australians.

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8. Switzerland: 80.51

Switzerland stands out for its high living standards even against the backdrop of generally prosperous Europe. It is an island of foreign policy neutrality, domestic political calm and financial well-being. Add to this the healing mountain air of the Alps - and the secret of longevity is revealed.

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7. Sweden: 80.51

Although the economic downturn of the early 1990s slightly disrupted the political and financial stability of this socially oriented Scandinavian state, the standard of living in Sweden remains one of the highest in the world. In addition, Sweden has the lowest percentage of smokers of all developed countries - about 17 percent.

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6. Japan: 81.25

Add to the high standard of living in Japan a different food culture from Europe. Only three percent of the adult population of the Land of the Rising Sun is obese. The Japanese diet mainly consists of vegetables, fish, rice and noodles, and they are not used to overeating and prefer to get up from the table feeling slightly hungry. In addition, they are not as dependent on cars as Europeans or Americans, and rarely miss the opportunity to walk.

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5. Hong Kong: 81.59

5. Hong Kong: 81.59

A former British colony and now a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong is very different from the rest of China. It is one of the world's financial centers with a very high average income. Hong Kongers eat very little meat, preferring a healthy diet consisting primarily of rice, vegetables, and tofu.

4. Singapore: 81.71

4. Singapore: 81.71

Financial prosperity is just one factor that keeps Singaporeans living to a ripe old age. The Asian island city-state also has a well-developed government program for caring for the elderly.

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3. San Marino: 81.71

3. San Marino: 81.71

In the tiny state on the Apennine Peninsula, the majority of the population works in offices rather than in heavy industry, which has an adverse effect on the health of workers.

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2. Macau: 82.19

The former Portuguese colony in the South China Sea is now part of China but enjoys broad autonomy. The city gets 70 percent of its income from legalized gambling, and the government invests heavily in healthcare.

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1. Andorra: 83.51

1. Andorra: 83.51

After the Second World War, the poor dwarf state began to develop rapidly thanks to the popularization of tourism, and today Andorra is a prosperous country with a beneficial mountain climate and a highly developed health care system. Now, the 70-odd thousand citizens of Andorra are the main long-livers on our planet.

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