Japan tops 'healthy life expectancy' list, followed by Singapore

Japanese men scored 71.11 years and Japanese women 75.56 years on the list measuring the probable period of life where people are expected to live on their own without the aid of nursing and without getting so sick that their daily activities are interrupted. Singapore ranked second averaging 72.1 years for men and women, followed by Ireland, Iceland and Cyprus, according to the study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Washington in the U.S. state of Washington and other institutions. The study also estimated life expectancy, putting the Japanese male population's figure at 80.05, above 80 years for the first time, and women at 86.39. The team also produced data for 1990, saying average life expectancy rose from around 65 in 1990 to about 71.5 in 2013 globally, while healthy life expectancy increased from just below 57 to slightly above 62 in the period, attributing the increases to progress in fighting infectious diseases such as AIDS and malaria. Source: Kyodo