#life-expectancy

#life-expectancy

The origins of Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, can be traced back hundreds of years to an Aztec festival that honored the goddess of the dead, Mictecacihuatl. The party lasted a month. With the arrival of European colonists, the Catholic Church shrank it to a couple of days, coinciding with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, usually the first two days of November. Family and friends decorate altars with offerings such as candles, flowers, photos and meaningful memorabilia.

The world's population is living longer than ever. According to the latest Global Burden of Disease report, published Sunday in The Lancet, life expectancy worldwide is 20 years higher than in the middle of the last century and now averages 76 for women and 71 for men in wealthy countries, both are over 80. The risk of death is falling across the planet, and populations are generally healthier. But it's not all good news.

Dramatic increases in life expectancy are one of the defining achievements of the modern era. From 56 years for men and 60 for women in the UK a century ago, this vital measure of the quantity of life rose to 79 and 83 respectively in 2022. The trend towards increased longevity is global, although not all countries have seen gains on the same scale, and the pandemic sent it into temporary reverse.

On average, Brooklynites clock in at about 81 years, but the spread between neighborhoods is staggering. At the bottom of the chart are Brownsville, East New York, Coney Island, Bed-Stuy, South Williamsburg and Red Hook, where life expectancy dips to around 75 years-nearly a decade below the borough average. By contrast, neighborhoods with higher access to healthcare, safer streets, and stronger community resources-think Park Slope, Carroll Gardens and Downtown Brooklyn -tend to see residents living well into their late 80s.

The focus on extending lifespan, especially among the wealthy, has not resulted in improvements for the general population, where life expectancy is declining.

In 2023, after suffering a health scare, Margolyes underwent a procedure called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, replacing her heart valve with one from a cow.