Life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth is a measure of overall quality of life. In both developing and developed countries an increase in medical knowledge and improvements in the availability of health care have increased our expectations of how long we may hope to live.

Health and family history are personal indicators of how long a person may expect to live, but these are heavily influenced by local factors – the risks associated with the place where you live, and accessibility to even the basic requirements of a healthy life.