Life-and-Death Inequality
Although people are living longer almost everywhere, life-expectancy figures in the US tell a more complicated story. Rich Americans can expect to live significantly longer than poor Americans, owing to disturbing levels of inequality not only of income and wealth, but also of access to basic health care.
REYKJAVÍK – Just as some of us live longer than others, countries have different average life expectancies. At the bottom of the scale is Swaziland, the only country in the world where a newborn still cannot expect to reach age 50. And at the top is Hong Kong, where a newborn can expect to live to age 84.