Last week, Emma Morano, a 116-year-old Italian woman, officially became the world’s oldest living person, when Susannah Mushatt Jones, who previously held the record, died at the age of 116.
Staying alive past the age of 100 is still an incredible feat (one influenced by bacon intake and olive oil, if you believe the recommendations of the world’s oldest people), but it may become much more common over the next few decades.
MarketWatch reports that by 2050, the world’s population of centenarians will grow to eight times its current size, according to a recent analysis by the Pew Research Center.
In 2015, there are 7.4 centenarians for every 10,000 older adults (those age 65 or older) in the world. By 2050, there will be an estimated 23.6. Life expectancies have been rising for decades, thanks to better living conditions, advances in healthcare, and other factors.
There are now almost half a million centenarians in the world, four times the number alive in 1990. By 2050, China will likely have the largest population of centenarians, followed by India and the United States.
— Source: www.mentalfloss.com
