5 countries that are ageing best and 5 countries that are ageing worst

A research conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (HME) studied citizens of various countries to evaluate the ones who are staying healthiest as they age. This is an important question culturally and economically, as age-related health issues can lead to early retirement, higher spending on health and a smaller workforce.

The study included 195 countries and used the Global Burden of Disease data to evaluate how much population from these 195 countries suffers from 92 different age related problems, disabilities and disease. All the countries were given a score – disability-adjusted life years (DALY), which was a measurement of the loss of healthy life as people age.

For further comparison, researchers also determined the type of diseases that strike people at the age of 65 and then they checked how old the country’s population was when they began to experience these diseases.

Based on the study's result, here’s the list of 5 countries that are ageing best.

The senior citizens of Switzerland have the best DALY score, making them the healthiest, according to the HME study. Swiss people could also put off diseases that hit by the age of 65 by 11 years.

The country is among one of the happiest countries in the world. They have world-class healthcare and perfect healthcare access and quality index (HAQ). No wonder the country is the healthiest country in the world.

Just like Swiss people, Singaporeans age so much better than the average. They do not have to deal with aches, pains and diseases of an average 65-year-old until they are 75. Americans manage to delay this gap just by three years.

The seniors of South Korea and Japan are able to delay the aches and diseases by about 9 to ten years.

Japan and Korea also have the lowest levels of obesity in the world. Only three and five per cent of the population respectively.

Though Italian people smoke a lot, they still age slowly and healthily than most other countries including United States. Just like the people of the above four countries, Italian seniors put off the age-associated illnesses for almost a decade, which is longer than the global average.

Papua New Guinea

The citizens of the country are burdened with 475 per cent more illness and disability as compared to the US citizens. The health conditions are so bad that the average life expectancy is only 61 years in women and 56 in men.

The medical facilities lack the basic equipment and medicine, reports the New York Times.

People in these countries develop health-related problems 10 to 15 years earlier than the global average. They feel 65 when their late 40s, according to the HME study.

Poor healthcare, poverty, lack of good health care and lack of education are some of the reasons for these places to be least healthy.

Conflict, terror and drug use are the reason for poor health condition and disability in Afghanistan.