Long-term trends

In 2004, the country with the highest life expectancy was Japan, with 82.1 years for the entire population, followed by Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, Australia, Spain and France, where life expectancy also reached 80 years or more. On average, across OECD countries, life expectancy at birth for the entire population reached 78.3 years in 2004, up from 68.5 in 1960.

Gains in life expectancy were steady over the past four decades in most countries, averaging 1.8 years in the 1960s, and 2.3 years in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Increases in life expectancy have been particularly pronounced in countries that started with relatively low levels. In Turkey, life expectancy at birth increased by over 20 years between 1960 and 2004, rapidly catching up with the OECD average. Similarly, in Mexico, life expectancy increased by more than 17 years since 1960. A significant reduction in infant mortality rates has contributed to these gains.

The gender gap in life expectancy stood at 5.7 years on average across OECD countries in 2004, with life expectancy reaching 75.4 years for men and 81.1 years for women. This gender gap increased by less than one year on average across countries over the entire period from 1960 to 2004. But this result hides different trends between earlier and later decades. While the gender gap in life expectancy increased substantially in many countries during the 1960s and the 1970s, it narrowed during the past two decades, as gains in life expectancy for men exceeded those for women in several OECD countries. The narrowing of the gender gap in life expectancy in many countries over the past two decades has been attributed partly to the narrowing in risk factor behaviours, especially smoking, between men and women, accompanied by falls in mortality rates from cardiovascular disease among men.