The top three countries where people live the longest lives are Iceland, Japan, and Switzerland. Swiss women live on average 85.6 years, while men live 81.6 years, and the number of centenarians is on the increase: there are 1,888 of them today! What makes Switzerland such a good country to live in that people are prone to live longer and longer? There are many reasons for that which form a special environment, and we will look at them in this post.
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Switzerland: A Perfect Living Environment
Switzerland is a leader in the following areas:
- Social connections
- Level of well-being
- Education
- Personal safety
- Employment
- Environment quality
- Income and wealth
- Excellent work-life balance
- State of health
Besides, Swiss citizens are the holders of the world’s strongest passport!
80% of Swiss residents work and receive a decent salary.
And probably the most important thing is that the Swiss are happy with their lives and rate life in Switzerland at 7.5 out of 10. The cantons with the majority of centenarians are Jura, Basel, and Ticino.
Secrets of a Long Life from Switzerland
Let’s look at the main components that resulted in such noticeable success.
Healthcare System
If you live in Switzerland, you are required to have compulsory medical insurance, and the local government spends 9% of its GDP on the healthcare system.
All the necessary medical services are available to 95% of the population, and the number of medical workers is steadily growing in the country. As for the statistics of diseases, people survive cancer more often than in other countries as they address the medical institutions earlier, and the number of deaths related to cardiovascular diseases is going down.
Social Security and Healthy Lifestyle
Bad habits, like alcohol and smoking, are given up by more and more residents of Switzerland, and they opt for a healthy life.
The Swiss have no fear of the future as there are a lot of governmental programs that will help you out in case of financial hardships (for example, if you lose a job). As a result, the locals have less stress, which contributes to better health.
Clean Environment
Tourists who come to Switzerland are fascinated by its pristine nature, air quality, and stunning views. You can hardly find a better place to relax, and living here definitely charges up your inner battery.
Switzerland is a mountainous country: two-thirds of its territory is covered by the Alps with clear air and striking scenery. Forests cover one-third of the country’s territory, which is another reason why the Swiss benefit from high-quality air. About a quarter of the Swiss land is occupied by natural reserves that are well-protected, and Switzerland accounts for 6% of the continent’s freshwater reserves. Sounds great, doesn’t it? In addition, Switzerland makes great efforts to protect its natural environment, and it has lower greenhouse gas emissions, for instance, than in many other European countries.
The country is planning to become climate-neutral by 2050. It has a well-thought-out recycling system, and 96% of its residents are absolutely satisfied with water quality (which is a very high indicator as compared to the OECD’s average of 84%).
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Education
Different studies have shown that people with a good education live on average 8 years more than those who only finished secondary school. This is easily explained as well-educated people are usually more aware of the dangers of bad habits, fast food, lack of physical exercise, and so on, and they are more likely to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
In addition to that, educated people are usually more aware of the existing medical care opportunities and actively seek ways to improve their health. What is more, they rarely give up in case of financial or health problems as they maintain a more optimistic attitude towards life and do their best to return to the previous level.
Japan, the Longevity Leader
Japan has achieved considerable success in terms of longevity: the current life expectancy is 84 years as compared to 70 years back in 1960. There are 35 people aged over 100 per 100,000 inhabitants in Japan, with the majority of centenarians living on the island of Okinawa. Diseases are not very frequent, and local residents prefer traditional medicine rather than pharmacological pills.
Japan introduced a government program aimed at reducing salt intake, which helped the country reduce deaths due to strokes by an astounding 80%!
Life Expectancy in the USA
Life expectancy in the USA differs a lot depending on the social stratum. The wealthy 10% of Americans show indicators similar to European countries (80 years for men and 84 years for women), while the representatives of low-income families can expect to live for no more than 73 years. This is related to unequal access to healthcare, obesity of 70% of the population (leading to such diseases as type II diabetes), and proneness to an unhealthy life among the less fortunate society members. What is more, the number of deaths related to drug abuse has increased 8 times in the past 25 years, which is a sad indicator. As a result, life expectancy in the US is not as high as you might think.
The excellent results demonstrated by Switzerland in terms of life expectancy mark the country’s economic success and the reliability of its healthcare system. This is one of the most favorable countries to live in, which is proved by the number of centenarians. If you want to move to Switzerland, do not hesitate to follow the above link and get in touch with us to discuss how you can do it!