The average Australians will live approximately two years longer than the average Briton. The deficit with Americans is four. While the English-speaking globe has certain parallels, Australians appear to outlive their Anglophone counterparts by a large margin.
What explains Australia’s growing lead among this group? A study published on August 13th in BMJ Open reveals that Australians are healthier than many of their peers. Younger cohorts had less pregnancy and delivery difficulties than other English-speaking countries, and they are less likely to die from drug overdoses. Older people are also less likely to die from chronic conditions including circulation difficulties and heart disease.
Australia has lower cancer mortality rates than any other Anglophone country, with the exception of American men over the age of 65. Furthermore, Australians are less likely to die in car accidents than people in other nations with high driving rates, such as the United States and New Zealand. Taken together, these changes add 1-5 years to life expectancy.
According to the authors, lower tobacco usage rates, as well as Australia’s healthcare system, could explain some of these disparities. Treatment is free under a national health-insurance policy, although many Australians are also privately insured, which relieves demand on the public system. At 10.5% of GDP, the government spends less on health care than Britain, America, or Canada, but its health-care system has significantly lower rates of preventable fatalities than all of its English-speaking neighbors.Â
Beyond the English-speaking globe, however, Australia’s lifespan is less remarkable. Compared to 14 other high-income countries, it ranks fourth for men and sixth for women. Japan, Switzerland, and Spain, all of which have long been leaders in longevity, top the list.
