Spain set for world's highest life expectancy: 11 reasons why

LIFE expectancy in Spain is already the highest in Europe and the fourth on earth, beaten only by Japan, Singapore and South Korea – the first country expected to break the 90 barrier within the next two decades – but Spaniards are predicted to become the longest-living on earth within the relatively near future.

Outstripping Japan and Singapore, who are on course to have an average life expectancy for men and women of 85.7 by the year 2040 – and possibly exceeding South Korea if its own figure shrinks or fails to grow as predicted – Spain could be the country where people live the longest, with a forecast average of 85.8 years, or 10-and-a-half weeks short of 86.

Exact breakdowns for men and women have not been given, although typically, men in Europe live three fewer years than women, so their life expectancy is likely to be around 84.3 years to women's 87.3 years.

 

Spaniards 'smoke more but live longer'

A recent article in The Times, which revealed that the UK's life expectancy is forecast to be 2.5 years lower than that of Spain in the year 2040, asked what Spain is 'doing right': “They drink, they smoke, so why are the Spanish living so long?” The report asks.

According to The Times' figures, 16% of UK residents smoke compared with 23% of people in Spain – but any passing observer can see that the gap between the two countries is far wider than claimed; a year ago, just over 33% of Spanish residents admitted to smoking, but empty bars with full pavement terraces, even in winter, and the fact it is very easy to find someone to provide a light when you're without one almost anywhere on the streets, the tolerant attitude towards smoking among the public – even though it is banned in any indoor space and smoking booths have been scrapped airside in all airports – shows the rate of smokers, regular or 'social', is likely to be much higher than 30%, whilst in the UK, the practice is so frowned upon that even those who smoke a very occasional cigarette with a drink or in times of stress would be considered 'a smoker'.

 

The Times says Spaniards drink 'nearly as much' as Brits

Spaniards' experience of Brits as tourists and expatriates is that UK nationals appear far more likely to drink alcohol – although those who live in the UK know this is mostly because alcohol is much cheaper in Spain and measures are larger, and the drinking is less 'taboo'; in Spain, where alcohol has always been readily available at any time of the day and at low prices, binge-drinking is rare except among the alcohol-dependent, and drinking at all has its time and place. Glasses of wine with a meal, shots afterwards, often in coffee, and boozing during fiestas are the 'norm', and anecdotal evidence shows that many younger adults, particularly women, do not typically bother much with alcohol except for the occasional cold beer on a hot day. In fact, The Times concedes that Spaniards drink 'almost as much as' the Brits, but certainly not more.

 

Six reasons why Spaniards live longer, according to The Times

The Times cites six reasons why the Spanish life expectancy is, and looks likely to stay, higher than the British – the most obvious would appear to be the famous Mediterranean diet, based upon fruit, fresh vegetables including salads, grilled oily fish, olive oil, olives, limited amouts of bread for dipping and plate-wiping, and a glass or two of a good wine designed to complement the food.

This said, the Mediterranean diet is less frequent in inland locations, where a typical dinner or cooked lunch would involve meat and two veg or, on the north coast, bean or chickpea stews. And it is well-known that frozen or even tinned vegetables and fish are just as healthy, if not more so, than their fresh versions.

However, processed and convenience food is less likely to find its way into Spanish households: many expats and tourists, especially from Anglo-Saxon countries, find supermarkets in Spain disconcerting, as they appear geared towards raw ingredients for home cooking. Hot summers mean more salads, portion control is greater – whilst a full Spanish lunch, often even on a working day, can involve three or four courses, restaurants provide dishes just large enough to be filling and waste is rare, with desserts being much smaller – and southern Europeans seem to have less of a sweet tooth than northern Europeans. Lanfer et al (2013) found that very sweet, high-fat biscuits went down well among children in northern Europe, but that in southern Europe, attitudes were lukewarm: 70% of German children loved them, but only 35% of Cypriots liked them. Indeed, biscuits, cakes and sweet things are normally kept for afternoon tea or merienda, for a late breakfast or almuerzo or, in smaller quantities, for an earlier breakfast – and as a result of eating five times a day at very routine, set times, nibbling between meals is very rare. Tapas, or snack foods in small portions, are still fitted into the five main eating times and are frequently shared, and their small size is another reason The Times quotes for Spain's greater longevity.

The Times mentions walking as another reason – for most people living in Spanish towns, taking the car to the local shop would be unthinkable, especially as parking is invariably too difficult, and as cities tend to be more compact and self-contained, walking from place to place is much easier. Whilst Spaniards tend to be less likely to go to the gym than Brits, three-quarters of them say they walk for at least 10 minutes four days a week, according to the Eurobarometer study of 2014.

The famous siesta is also quoted; although Spaniards work much longer hours than Brits – a typical week being 40 hours, unlike the UK's 35-hour 9-to-5 week, and a high number of jobs requiring staff to be present right up to the 48-hour maximum – their long lunch breaks mean taking a 20- or 30-minute post-meal nap is usually possible. For those living near enough to home that they can return, cook and eat a full meal, digest it and take a brief sleep, the gap of between two and four-and-a-half hours in the middle of the day can be relaxing and healthy. This said, for anyone forced to hang around town over lunch, especially if they cannot afford to eat in restaurants every day, the day is unbearably long, and parents often complain that clocking off at 20.30 means they hardly ever see their children. On the other hand, public sector and bank workers, whose hours are typically 08.00 to 15.00, can take advantage of the cooked-lunch-and-nap culture and still have time to spend on leisure activities or with family afterwards.

The Times speculates whether the fact that Spaniards statistically have more sex – 2.1 times a week compared with Brits' 1.7 times, according to pharmaceutical firm Gedeon Richter – may help them live longer, and also cites the 'positive attitude' inherent in the language: a study by Vermont University involving a corpus of thousands of words from the planet's 10 most-spoken tonuges found that Spanish is the 'most cheerful' of all, with no difference in this sense between that of Spain and of Latin America.

 

Not the end of the story

But other factors often cited by Spaniards and non-Spanish residents in Spain, particularly in comparison with other countries of a similarly long life expectancy, may be equally as valid; five of the main ones are described here.

 

Sun, daylight and better weather

The most obvious of these is the sun. Not just the warmer weather, but the number of hours of daylight: winters on the south and east coast and in the islands are typically mild, which is also conducive to exercise and fresh air, and ski slopes are reachable by car, so even the short winters do not have to keep Spaniards indoors.

Also, it is nothing newsworthy that suicide rates in northern Scandinavia are higher than in southern Europe because of more hours of darkness in winter affecting mood.

And whilst winters in the UK mean grey, dull skies, in much of Spain, even when it is bitterly cold, the sun is frequently shining: in fact, the east coast accumulates 300 days of sunshine a year.

This is likely to be why Spaniards are less likely to go to the gym than British people: on the whole, they prefer to exercise outdoors, and the climate and daylight hours are perfect for doing so.

These may also be factors that explain why life expectancies in Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus are not far behind those of Spain and typically higher than those elsewhere in the EU.

 

Free and efficient medical care

Healthcare is also a very probable factor. South Korea's efficient and highly-accessible medical system is one of the reasons cited for its life expectancy being, as at September 2017, the highest on earth, and Singapore's being the third-highest is said to be because of its health service's focus on prevention and early detection as priority.

Spain's healthcare system is free to use for all residents, irrespective of their status in terms of work or retirement, and can be used by tourists from the EU via their European health cards. Recently, the new Spanish government overturned a controversial law banning undocumented migrants aged 18 or over from receiving free medical treatment except for childbirth-related or emergency conditions – although in practice, 15 of Spain's 17 regions had already defied the unpopular restrictions.

Free healthcare is often cited as a factor in life expectancy and general quality of life, and is one of the reasons why the USA, despite being a first-world country where around half of the population lives in Mediterranean climates, fails to reach levels seen in southern Europe.

Efficiency, availability of modern methods, and relatively unrestricted medication supply are among factors that make Spain's healthcare top in Europe; in fact, out of 56 countries analysed, the UK came 35^th and Spain came third, beaten only by Hong Kong and Singapore. If treatment exists, Spanish residents will get it, irrespective of cost to the system, and appointments for consultations and operations come through much quicker than in the UK.

 

Family culture and close-knit communities

Family is another important factor cited by many Spaniards, particularly those who have lived abroad. Traditionally, mobility was limited with Spaniards preferring to stay closer to the nest – even students tend to apply for the university nearest their homes and return at weekends – meaning entire generations living in the same or neighbouring towns. It is only in recent years and with the financial crisis that younger adults have been relocating across the country or even abroad to find work at all, or in their field, and the umbilical cord remains unbroken so far: many express a desire to return to Spain one day if ever they can find similar working conditions and pay in the same industry at home.

Spaniards often criticise the relative lack of a welfare state, but this is largely fruit of the 'family culture', whereby anyone in financial trouble would automatically be helped out by relatives who were able to do so, even if this involved personal sacrifice. The Chartered Insurance Institute in London explained that selling life and health insurance in Spain had been notoriously difficult – as Spaniards believe any help required, including elderly or disabled care, was 'the family's job' – until agents began to explain how these policies actually increased families' capacity to help each other. With family close by, intimately knowledgeable about each others' lives and troubles and on hand to provide support, and lack of mobility meaning earliest school chums become friends for life, mean loneliness, social isolation or having to 'bottle up' problems are less of an issue for Spanish people.

 

Being 'outspoken'

Some Spaniards cite their stereotypical 'outspokenness' as a reason for living longer: what The Times, in an earlier article, called 'rudeness' and 'loudness' is, in Spanish people's view, a way of getting their feelings off their chest immediately, preventing them holding grudges or stewing inside, which are proven to cause psychological stress that affects physical health.

 

Working to live, not living to work

Work is another factor Spaniards mention as a possible issue affecting life expectancy: most Spanish people admit they work to live, rather than living to work, and status and money are not important to them beyond what they need to lead a comfortable lifestyle. Even though Spaniards are statistically more highly-qualified than Brits, they are more willing to take on menial jobs in order to pay the bills and suffer less embarassment in doing so, considering it a means to an end. Other than salary, Spanish workers interviewed value convenient and flexible hours and friendly, supportive colleagues over high-ranking job titles.

 

Collectivist 'non-judgmental' culture

Psychological experiments over the years have shown Spain to be a more collectivist than individualist culture, where people work together for the common good rather than focusing on 'finding themselves', and it is arguable that this attitude is better for mental health. Spain's openness to other cultures and nationalities, its keenness to take in refugees and its being the fourth country in the world – pipped at the post by Canada – to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption, back in 2005, shows a non-judgmental society with less social pressure.

 

More centenarians in sunnier parts

But even throughout Spain, levels of longevity differ. Naturally, a higher life expectancy does not necessarily mean an individual person will live longer, but is a sign of reduced death rates at younger ages: low infant mortality and staying healthy in middle age help push life expectancy up, although it appears that those who want to live to over 100 should move to Galicia, Andalucía or the Costa Blanca area of the Comunidad Valenciana: well over 25,000 people in the province of Alicante are aged over 90, and even 15 years ago, the Costa was home to 500 centenarians, a figure expected to swell to 9,000 by the year 2053.