Countries Where People Live the Longest

In these remarkable destinations, locals live well into old age.

Where Locals Have the Highest Life Expectancy

In communities all around the world, people are living (and thriving) well into their golden years. These prospering societies aren’t safeguarding secret fountains of youth — but they do share some common elixirs.

In places where longevity reigns, locals tend to eat balanced, mostly plant-based diets; partake in daily low-impact activities; focus on family and spirituality; and carve out plenty of time to enjoy the simple things in life, like napping. Believe it or not, a healthy love of wine is also prevalent, as is sunny weather.

Using findings from the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report, the CIA World Factbook and the Blue Zones project, we’ve rounded up some of the countries where people have the highest life expectancy. In all of these destinations, citizens surpass 75 years of age on average (compared to the global average of 71). Most also have high concentrations of centenarians, those who live to be 100 and older.

If you want to travel somewhere where the people are happy, the culinary scene is health-focused, the weather is temperate and outdoor recreation rules, these are all excellent places to consider.

You may walk away feeling like you've sipped from the fountain of youth yourself.

Barbados

Average national life expectancy: 75.5 years

The Caribbean island of Barbados, a favorite beach getaway for travelers, treats its elderly right. Bajans who reach 100 years of age are honored with portraits printed on postal stamps as part of the "Centenarians of Barbados" stamp collection. The island even has a healthy contingent of locals who live to be past 110 years old, appropriately called supercentenarians.

In Barbados, people spend their days with purpose by putting faith and family first, which has played a significant role in longevity. According to the Blue Zones project, knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy.

The same easy-going lifestyle that draws travelers allows citizens to remain relaxed, and the island life encourages them to partake in physical motion daily, from strolling the village to visiting neighbors to going for a swim in the sea.

Costa Rica

Average national life expectancy: 78.7 years

The longest-living residents in Costa Rica credit their plan de vida, meaning reason to live, which gives them a strong sense of purpose. Plus, the Caribbean nation boasts sunny, tropical weather and has excellent healthcare.

Costa Rica’s beautiful jungle-ridden Nicoya Peninsula is a designated Blue Zone, singled out by experts for being home to the planet's healthiest and longest-living citizens.

Nicoyan centenarians rise and set with the sun, and spend their days working, eating and playing in equal measure. They maintain a positive outlook, credited to their Catholic beliefs. Most spend a significant amount of the day active, either working the farmland or walking around the neighborhood to visit loved ones.

Spanish colonizers thought they’d discovered the fountain of youth when they reached Costa Rica’s natural hot springs in nearby La Fortuna, and they weren’t too far off the mark. The springs indeed provide a health boost to citizens, as they do to those passing through.

Greece

Average national life expectancy: 80.7 years

It’s no secret that the Mediterranean diet is extraordinarily healthy and decreases the chance of cardiovascular disease; those with doubts need look no further than Greece, where the diet has contributed to extraordinary longevity, as it has in many other places around the world.

Grecians are also active, often partaking in farming and fishing, and make time in their daily lives to socialize with loved ones, walk in the sun and nap.

Ikaria, a Grecian island off the coast of Turkey in the Eastern Aegean Sea, is a Blue Zone with numerous nonagenarians — people between the ages of 90 and 99. In fact, a remarkable third of Ikaria’s population lives to be 90.

Blue Zone researchers have found that locals in Ikaria are super healthy, and dementia, cancer and cardiovascular diseases are very rare. Like Costa Rica, the destination is home to mineral hot springs, which have been found to relieve pain, increase circulation and help with digestion.

Locals are additionally known to drink a local herbal tea that’s a health elixir jam-packed with nutrients and antioxidants.

Bermuda

Average national life expectancy: 81.4 years

This British island territory in the North Atlantic Ocean may best be known for pink-sand beaches, but it also has one of the highest life expectancies on Earth.

There is a serious gender gap though: Where women live to be 84.9 years of age on average, men only make it to 77.3 years. This is largely due to various health issues that disproportionately affect men, like the fact that 70 percent of Bermudian women are overweight, compared to 79 percent of Bermudian men.

Obesity in general is a problem in Bermuda, which suffers the highest obesity rates of all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. About 13 percent of the population suffers from diabetes, and the diabetes-related lower-extremity amputation rate is nearly double the average of OECD countries.

So why can Bermuda still tout such a high overall life expectancy? A healthy love for the outdoors and strong sense of community surely play a role. Plus only 10 percent of Bermudians smoke — one of the lowest rates in the OECD.

Netherlands

Average national life expectancy: 81.4 years

One of the oldest people in the world, Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, was from the Netherlands. When she died at age 115, she donated her body to science so that the secret to a long life could be studied.

She and others in the country have thrived thanks to a national focus on supporting healthy aging. One community, Groningen, has gone so far as to create its own Blue Zone by implementing standards to foster community and encourage healthy eating habits.

Anguilla

Average national life expectancy: 81.5 years

Anguilla is a self-governing British Overseas Territory in the Eastern Caribbean where just 13,572 people live. And those people are, on the whole, living long and healthy lives.

Maybe this is because of easy access to the sea and long stretches of white-sand beaches. Or maybe it’s because of the island’s laid-back vibe and abundance of fresh, healthy seafood.

One thing’s for certain: It’s not due to healthcare, which individuals must pay for out of pocket.

Austria

Average national life expectancy: 81.6 years

Considering Austria is the second-richest country in the European Union, it’s no surprise to learn that its citizens enjoy long lifespans. The socioeconomics of the country positively affects the population's access to reliable healthcare and nutritious foods. Austria is also the third safest country in the world, which helps to decrease stress among locals.

Austrian culture focuses on a healthy work-life balance, with a more laid-back approach to working hours and a priority on spending leisure time outdoors. Many shops close up on Sundays to give business owners a day off work, and in August, most businesses close for the entire month so employees can enjoy a summer holiday.

Austrians love to spend time enjoying freshwater lakes in warmer months and skiing the slopes in the winter time. Clearly, this way of life is a sound one.

Spain

Average national life expectancy: 81.8 years

Spaniards, too, are keen on the Mediterranean diet. Moreover, they benefit from daily siestas, or afternoon naps, which help keep them relaxed and rested.

In Spain, family values come first, as do deep-rooted religious beliefs, traditions and ceremonies, bringing communities together weekly.

These family and social interactions are the first priority in Spain, where a commonly heard phrase is “no pasa nada,” which roughly translates to “don’t worry.”