The science of aging: Five vital numbers

Getting older is one of life’s inevitabilities. Or is it? Michael Mosley looks into aging. Here are the vital stats.

Published: October 21, 2010 at 1:00 pm

1

50%

of the babies born in 2007 in Britain are expected to live past their 100th birthday.

2

80+

is the fastest growing age group in the UK.

3

78

years is the life expectancy at birth of men in England compared with 75 in Scotland. Life expectancy of men in Wales is 76.8 years.

4

25%

of what determines the length of your life is your genetics. So lifestyle factors, such as exercise and nutrition, are far more important.

5

Two

years is the average rise in life expectancy in each of the past three decades in the UK.

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