Living Longer or Living Better?

Lifespan is the total number of years you live — the quantity of life.

Healthspan is the number of those years spent in good health, free from serious chronic disease, disability, or frailty — the quality of life.

Thanks to advances in medicine and public health, the average global lifespan has increased dramatically. However, healthspan has not kept pace. On average, there is about a 9-year gap between how long people live and how long they live well. Many spend the final decade or more dealing with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, or cognitive decline.