This country now has the greatest life expectancy in the world – but the UK isn’t even in the top 20
New research has predicted how long people will live around the world by 2040
JAPAN has been toppled from first place as the country with the highest life expectancy.
The country where people can expect to live the longest is now Spain.
A report by the Institute for the Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in The Lancet forecast that Spaniards will have an average life expectancy of 85.8 years by 2040.
The researchers revealed that the Spanish Mediterranean diet is thought to be the reason for such a high life expectancy.
Dr Christopher Murray, director of the IHME at the University of Washington, told : “Spain does really well… although tobacco is an area where they could be better. But current life expectancy is very good.”
Meanwhile Japanese people can expect to live until they are 85.7.
Research looked at 195 countries and territories, taking into consideration 250 different causes of death.
In third place is Singapore, fourth place is Switzerland, and fifth place is Italy.
Israel is in seventh place, France in eighth, Luxembourg in ninth and Australia in tenth place.
The UK does not feature in the top 20 countries, but is expected to rise to number 23 on the list from number 26 by 2040.
Life expectancy of the top ten countries by 2040
1. Spain (85.8 years)
2. Japan (85.7 years)
3. Singapore (85.4 years)
4. Switzerland (85.2 years)
5. Portugal (84.5 years)
6. Italy (84.5 years)
7. Israel (84.4 years)
8. France (84.3 years)
9. Luxembourg (84.1 years)
10. Australia (84.1 years)
The average life expectancy of a Brit will be 83.3 by 2040 – up from 80.8 in 2016.
Bottom of the list is Lesotho in Sothern Africa, which is forecast to have a life expectancy of only 57.3 by 2040.
This is followed by the Central African Republic with 58.4, then Zimbabwe at 61.3.
MOST READ IN TRAVEL
The report warns that the spread of HIV could mean that life expectancy falls even lower in these countries in the future.
It said: “Based on our 2040 worst health scenario, there is a real risk of HIV mortality rebounding if countries lose momentum against the HIV epidemic, jeopardising decades of progress against the disease.”
Sun Online Travel previously revealed the world's most risky holiday destinations - and it's likely most Brits will have visited some of them.