What would you say is the key to living a long life? Is it health, wealth? Happiness? Leading price comparison website Compare the Market have analysed a number of socio-economic factors, such as nutrition, access to information and communications and adult literacy rate against life expectancy to unlock the true keys to living a long life.
The Pursuit of Happiness?
Feeling good and having a positive outlook on life has been argued as one of the reasons to improve not only the quality of your life but the quantity. However, the research by Compare the Market shows that happiness is one of the least correlating factors when it comes to life expectancy. Out of 20 ranking factors, happiness was ranked 16th for its correlation to how long you can expect to live, with only a 52% correlation.
With nutrition and medical care having the strongest correlation to life expectancy, Japan tops the leaderboard. The country has been highlighted for its healthy diet, hygiene, and encouragement of exercise amongst all ages. With an average life expectancy of 85 years old, Japan has some of the best healthcare and nutrition ratings around the world, with research showing that this factor directly affects how long we can expect to live.
The following countries score the highest for nutrition and medical care:
Research also revealed Central African Republic having one of the lowest scores for both nutrition and medical care, and also access to information and communications. The country has the lowest life expectancy in the world, with the average being around 51 years old – this is related to a number of factors including conflict, displacement of population, and high mortality rates from infectious disease.
The Keys to a Longer Life
Five factors that correlate the most to a higher life expectancy:
| Rank | Socio-Economic Factor | Correlation |
| 1 | Nutrition & Medical Care | +89.53% |
| 2 | Environmental Quality | +75.45% |
| 3 | Access to Information and Communications | +75.05% |
| 4 | Wealth/Capita | +74.19% |
| 5 | Adult Literacy Rate | +71.03% |
Not So Key to a Long Life
Out of all 20 factors studied, the following have the least correlation with life expectancy:
| Rank | Socio-Economic Factor | Correlation |
| 20 | Employment | -21.44% |
| 19 | Tolerance of Immigrants | -0.64% |
| 18 | Availability of Affordable Housing | +20.84% |
| 17 | Political Rights | +51.77% |
| 16 | Happiness | +52% |
DAN HUTSON, HEAD OF PRODUCT – LIFE INSURANCE of Compare the Market comments:
“Whilst analysing the data for our Key to Life index, not only did we find that nutrition and medical care directly affected a nation’s average life expectancy, but we’re also seeing how Global Warming and harmful emissions have a negative effect on our health and the overall length of our lives.”
“It may come as a surprise that happiness placed as one of the lower ranking keys to a longer life, but the correlation between other basic factors, including access to the internet and wealth, prove that they help to build more fulfilled, longer lives in nations around the world.”
