World’s Longest-Living Countries Revealed: Monaco Tops the List

Kokcha News Agency– A recent analysis by Daily Mail has revealed the countries with the highest proportion of centenarians (individuals aged 100 and above) relative to their population. Monaco leads the list, followed by Hong Kong, the French Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe, Japan, and Uruguay. The United States ranks 46th on the list.

According to 2024 data, 27 countries, including some from Africa and Oceania, have no centenarians at all. These findings come shortly after a groundbreaking study published this week, where Prof. Karin Modig suggested in an article on The Conversation that centenarians exhibit superior rsistance to serious illnesses.

Two comprehensive studies from Sweden support this view. The first study tracked over 170,000 individuals born between 1912 and 1922 from their later years until death. The results showed that those who lived to 100 not only had fewer diseases after middle age but maintained this advantage throughout their lives. For example, only 4% of centenarians experienced a stroke by age 85, compared to 10% of those who died between 90 and 99.

A second, broader study found that centenarians also experienced fewer mild health issues. This research examined 40 different diseases (including high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes, and heart attacks) and followed nearly 275,000 people for 30 years. Only 4,330 individuals reached the age of 100. At 80, only 8% of centenarians had cardiovascular disease, compared to over 15% of those who died at 85.

In the United Kingdom, official data shows that there are now over 16,000 centenarians, a number that has doubled in the last few decades. According to UN data, there are approximately 600,000 centenarians worldwide, with 120,000 living in Japan. Other notable countries include Puerto Rico, Martinique, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, and France.

Experts attribute the rise in centenarians to factors such as improved living conditions and a decline in smoking.