TY  - JOUR
AU  - Callaway, Julia
AU  - Strozza, Cosmo
AU  - Christensen, Kaare
AU  - Doblhammer, Gabriele
AU  - Rau, Roland
AU  - Søgaard, Jes
TI  - Ageing populations: new challenges in longevity.
JO  - BMC public health
VL  - 25
IS  - 1
SN  - 1471-2458
CY  - London
PB  - BioMed Central
M1  - DZNE-2026-00002
SP  - 4395
PY  - 2025
AB  - High-income countries experienced unprecedented gains in life expectancy throughout the twentieth century. However, recent evidence suggests that these gains have slowed, especially at older ages. This paper focuses on recent trends in life expectancy and health in ageing populations in high-income countries.We analysed mortality and health data from the Human Mortality Database and the Global Burden of Disease. Additionally, we reviewed recent literature to explore changes in life expectancy, health-adjusted life expectancy, physical and cognitive decline, and the impact of ageing on healthcare expenditure in countries with high life expectancies.Although life expectancy continues to rise in high-income countries, the pace of improvement has slowed, especially among the oldest-old. While health-adjusted life expectancy has generally increased, the proportion of life spent in good health varies across countries, with notable differences in trends in physical and cognitive disabilities. In terms of economic implications, these findings highlight the importance of age and proximity to death as determinants of healthcare expenditures.The deceleration in life expectancy gains, particularly among the oldest populations, raises important questions about future trends in longevity. As physical and cognitive health change in older ages healthcare systems will face new and diverse challenges. Understanding the role of ageing and time-to-death in shaping healthcare costs will be critical for anticipating future needs in high-income countries.
KW  - Humans
KW  - Life Expectancy: trends
KW  - Aged
KW  - Longevity
KW  - Aged, 80 and over
KW  - Aging
KW  - Male
KW  - Developed Countries: statistics & numerical data
KW  - Female
KW  - Health Expenditures: trends
KW  - Middle Aged
KW  - Mortality: trends
KW  - Global Burden of Disease
KW  - Global Health
KW  - Cognitive health (Other)
KW  - Health economics (Other)
KW  - Health expectancies (Other)
KW  - Mortality (Other)
KW  - Physical health (Other)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:41469611
C2  - pmc:PMC12755007
DO  - DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-25531-w
UR  - https://pub.dzne.de/record/283106
ER  -