KEY TO LIFE: The Secrets to a Long Life Expectancy

Compare the Market reveal the five factors that have the strongest correlation with a high life expectancy in all nations across the world.

• Nutrition and basic medical care is the most effective factor to a long life
• Happiness ranked 16th out of 20 for its correlation on how long you can expect to live
• Japan scores highly for the correlation between nutrition and medical care, with the average life expectancy being 85 years old – one of the highest in the world

19th September 2018: 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. View the graphics in full here.

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.

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%

For more information on the Key to Life, please visit Compare the Market.