Long Life in New Zealand

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23618, 30 March 1940, Page 5 (Supplement)

Long Life in New Zealand

FIGURES are usually reckoned to be dull reading, but the League of Nations Statistical Year Book for 1938-39 contains a very interesting table about the expectation of life in the various countries of the world. It reveals the surprising fact that in every country, with but one exception, women live longer than men. New Zealand is tho champion country for average longevity. Every female child horn in the Dominion has a mean life-expectation of nearly 68 years and every boy of 05 years. The prospects of survivorship improve as tho dangers of childhood arc passed, and a girl who celebrates her first birthday can expect another 68$ years of life, while for a boy the figure is G6£ years. Even more surprising is the prospect of life at 70. Women of that ago have an average chance of celebrating their 80th birthday, while men of 70 aro only liable to miss that mark by a month or so. Australia runs New Zealand very close for average longevity. For girls, the probable length of life is 67 years

and for boj's 63£ years. Australian women who reach the age of 70 have a slightly better chance of survival than tho female septuagenarians of New Zealand, they can confidently expect another eleven years of life. This figure is very close to that returned by Norway, which country holds tho current world's record for survivorship at 70, thanks to its longlived women. The actual figure for Norway is but a month or so short of 1H years. The current record for male longevity at 70 is held by Bulgaria, with an average of 10.88 years Curiously enough Bulgaria used to hold both these records by a fairly wide margin, but during the last thirty years its septuagenarians have failed to live up to their reputation for attaining great ages. In Europe the record for ordinary expectation of life is hold by Holland, the women of tho Netherlands having a probable life-duration of 66} years and the men running them very close at 05 years. Next comes Sweden with a female expectation of 65 years and a male of 63 years. England (including Wales) is third with 64£ years for women and 60 years for men. —D.C.J. In tho Liverpool Weekly Post.