Life Expectancy Rises Internationally
Global mortality patterns have shifted over the past 20 years, and more of the world's population is now living into old age, according to a recent study from The Lancet.
While deaths from malnutrition and infectious disease have declined, chronic diseases like cancer now account for about two out of every three deaths worldwide, up from just over half in 1990. Eight million people died of cancer in 2010, 38 percent more than in 1990. Diabetes took 1.3 million lives in 2010, double the number in 1990.
As for age, in 2010, 43 percent of deaths in the world occurred at age 70 and older, compared with 33 percent of deaths in 1990, the report said.
To see how the United States fared in this report, click here for the article from The New York Times.