Sister André died on January 17, 2023 at the age of 118. This impressive longevity had earned her the title of dean of humanity. However, many French people are expected to turn 100, or even 110, in the coming years. According to a new INED study, centenarians could be 7 times more numerous in 2060.
- In 1995, Jeanne Calment took a new step by celebrating her 120th birthday. Died in 1997 at the age of 122, she still holds the record for human longevity.
- The departments with the highest life expectancy at age 60 are Paris for women (29 years) and the Hautes-Alpes for men (25 years).
The improvement of living conditions and advances in medicine have enabled the French to gain precious years of life expectancy. It is now 85.2 years for women and 79.3 years for men. However, some live much longer. A study by the National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), published in January 2023, reveals that France has more and more centenarians.
4 out of 5 centenarians are women
According to the latest data from INED, France was home to 27,497 centenarians on January 1, 2021. Women are much more likely to cross the 100-year mark. They represent 84% of centenarians (23,156 out of the 27,497 counted).
However, a British study presented in 2015, revealed that while women were more likely to be centenarians, men who reached this age were in better health. Moreover, the most common comorbidities among this population are musculoskeletal diseases, sensory disorders and digestive diseases.
The increasing number of super-centenarians too
The probability of living a centenary has never been so high, according to the report of the French institute. “INSEE estimates that in 2060, metropolitan France could have 198,645 centenarians, against 3,760 in 1990 and only a hundred in 1900”, explains the INED. Centenarians could thus be seven times more numerous in 40 years.
“Since 1980, a new age group has become a statistical reality: super-centenarians, those who have celebrated their 110th birthday”, warns INED. These figures raise questions about the maximum lifespan. “Some scientists no longer rule out that human beings could live to be 150 years old, or even longer, if knowledge of genetics and the mechanism of aging continues to progress and makes it possible to slow down biological processes.”
