Brazilians Live Longer but Spend More Years with Illness, Study Finds

A new study published in The Lancet Public Health reveals that while Brazilians born today can expect to live longer than those born in 1990, a growing portion of that extended lifespan is spent with some form of illness. Analyzing data from 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2023, the research found that the average time Brazilians live with illness increased from 10.4 years to 12.5 years, a rise of 2.1 years or 20%. Brazil ranked 16th globally for the number of years lived in poor health conditions. Despite an increasing life expectancy of around 76 years, longevity gains have not been matched by proportional increases in healthy years. The study calculated the "morbidity gap"—the difference between total life expectancy and healthy life expectancy—using the Global Burden of Disease 2023 database. In 1990, Brazil's morbidity gap was 10.4 years, already exceeding the global average of 8.8 years. This gap steadily climbed, reaching 11.2 years in 2010 and 11.7 years in 2020. A temporary dip to 11.4 years in 2021, attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic causing simultaneous drops in both life and healthy life expectancies, was followed by a more rapid increase to 12.2 years in 2022 and 12.5 years in 2023. Musculoskeletal disorders, mental health conditions, sensory organ diseases, unintentional injuries like falls, and other non-communicable diseases are the leading causes of years lived with health problems globally. Elevated fasting glucose, excess weight, maternal and child malnutrition, and smoking are identified as major contributing risk factors. The study highlights that countries with higher life expectancies often accumulate more years with chronic non-fatal diseases, while nations with lower life expectancies naturally have smaller morbidity gaps due to shorter lifespans. Globally, women live longer but spend more years in ill health than men. Researchers advocate for public health policies to focus not only on reducing mortality but also on decreasing the duration of illness, recommending investments in prevention, rehabilitation, and long-term care.