General

Iceland’s men live the longest

The U.S. fairs poorly in study of mortality rates

Mortality rates have worsened over the past 20 years in 37 countries, according to researchers who said AIDS, smoking and obesity are reversing progress made in extending life span, Reuters reports. In most places, men have twice the relative mortality of women, said Dr. Christopher Muray of the University of Washington, who used a formula to calculate the probability that someone aged 15 would die before age 60. Since 1960, adult mortality risk fell by 34 per cent among women and 19 per cent among men globally, they reported, but some places saw reversal: Russia fell from 43rd place for female mortality in 1970, to 121st. The U.S. also fell in overall rankings, from 34th in the world for female mortality, and 41st in male, in 1990, to 49th for women and 45th for men, putting it behind Chile, Tunisia and Albania.

Reuters

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