Healthy years at 60: why Japan, Korea and Spain lead
Suppose two people are 60. Each is told to expect about 23 more years. One may spend most of them in full health. The other may not.
Life expectancy says how long. Healthy life expectancy asks how many of those years are lived in full health.
The World Health Organization defines it as the average number of years a person can expect to live in full health. The count leaves out years lived with disease or injury. Researchers use the figure at 60 to compare countries.
More years at 60: total, in full health, and the difference (both sexes, 2019, World Health Organization)
| Country | Total years | Years in full health | Years with illness or injury | Share in full health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 26.7 | 19.9 | 6.8 | 75% |
| South Korea | 26.1 | 19.4 | 6.7 | 74% |
| Switzerland | 25.5 | 19.1 | 6.4 | 75% |
| Spain | 25.4 | 19.2 | 6.2 | 76% |
| Italy | 25.1 | 19.0 | 6.1 | 76% |
| France | 25.7 | 18.8 | 6.9 | 73% |
| Costa Rica | 24.5 | 18.0 | 6.5 | 73% |
| United Kingdom | 24.1 | 17.9 | 6.2 | 74% |
| United States | 23.2 | 15.8 | 7.4 | 68% |
| Mexico | 22.2 | 15.2 | 7.0 | 68% |
| Colombia | 22.7 | 16.9 | 5.8 | 74% |
The last two columns are our calculation from the table.
In Japan, a 60-year-old can expect 26.7 more years, and 19.9 of them in full health. In the United States the figures are 23.2 and 15.8.
The two countries differ by 3.5 years in total. They differ by 4.1 years in full health. So the gap in healthy years is wider than the gap in all years.
In most of the countries listed, 73% to 76% of those years are in full health. In the United States and Mexico it is 68%. Thailand is at 79%, from the same tables.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reports healthy life years at 60 for its members. In 2021 they averaged 18.3 for women and 16.2 for men. Japan, Korea and Spain reported over 20 for women.
The two sources may measure healthy years a little differently, so the numbers do not line up exactly. Both show the same pattern. The years in full health are fewer than the years of life.
Habits are linked to healthy years. In the Harvard studies, women at 50 with four or five low-risk habits could expect 34.4 years free of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. With none, they could expect 23.7. For men the figures were 31.1 and 23.5.
In that study, heavy male smokers and obese men and women had the lowest share of their years free of these diseases. It was 75% or less.
A move to a better-ranked country may add years in full health, and you could notice that difference in daily life. These are averages for each country. A particular city, or the care a person uses, may differ.
For a person who is 60 and expects 23 more years, the tables suggest that around 15 to 20 of those years may be in full health, depending on where they live.
What would you want to be doing in those years? Tell us in the comments. Someone may find their own answer in yours.
Sources we read
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, healthy life expectancy at age 60 and life expectancy at age 60, 2019. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-age-60-(years)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Health at a Glance 2025, life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at older ages. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/health-at-a-glance-2025_8f9e3f98-en/full-report/life-expectancy-and-healthy-life-expectancy-at-older-ages_599cf359.html
Li and others, Healthy lifestyle and life expectancy free of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. https://pure.psu.edu/en/publications/healthy-lifestyle-and-life-expectancy-free-of-cancer-cardiovascul/
Georank, life expectancy by country and healthy life expectancy at 60 (world averages). https://georank.org/life-expectancy
Tell us in the comments