Report: By 2040 Israelis' lifespan will soar, Palestinians' to drop most

A new study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Education shows Israel rising to 7th in the world and Palestine dropping to 152nd by 2040.

Elderly couple (illustrative) (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Elderly couple (illustrative)
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Painting a stark contrast in health conditions, a just-published study projects that Israel will skyrocket to seventh in the world for life expectancy in coming decades, whereas Palestinians’ life expectancy will make the world’s sharpest drop.
The study, conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Education (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle, concludes that Israelis will live to 84.4 years by the year 2040. Palestinians are expected to live to 72.2 years.
However, the study does show that life expectancy overall is on the rise. From 2016 to 2040, Israel gained 2.3 years and Palestinians gained 0.3 years in lifespan.
From 2016 to 2040, Israel is predicted to move from 13th to 7th place in the world, while Palestinians will move from 114th to 152nd.
Jerusalem's Taub Center for Social Policy Studies suggested in a 2016 study that Israeli life expectancy is linked to army service. A 2015 CBS study found that Israeli life expectancy has risen by 9 years since 1980, with Ramat Gan boasting the highest lifespan of any Israeli city.
The United States will suffer the highest drop in rank among high-income countries.
The study predicts in 2040 that the top 10 longest living nations are: Spain, with an expected 85.8 years; Japan with an expected 85.7 years; Singapore with an expected 85.4 years; Switerland with an expected 85.2 years; Portugal with an expected 84.5 years; Italy with an expected 84.5 years; Israel with an expected 84.4 years; France with an expected 84.3 years; Luxembourg with an expected 84.1 years; and Australia with an expected 84.1 years.