AsianScientist (Aug.28, 2026) – Singaporeans have the world’s highest life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, yet they are also spending more years living with illness or disability than before, according to a new global study.
The research led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, in collaboration with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), analysed health data from 204 countries between 1990 and 2023.
The study focused on the “morbidity gap” – the gap between how long people live and how long they live in good health, and found that it has widened in almost all countries, including Singapore. Since 1990, Singapore’s morbidity gap has widened by approximately 2.35 years, representing a 26.6 per cent increase, compared with a global increase of 21.9 percent.
Published in The Lancet Public Health, the findings suggest that while Singapore has made substantial progress in preventing early deaths and extending life, it has been less effective at reducing the burden of chronic illness and disability during later life.
“Singapore’s position as a global leader in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy is a major public health achievement,” said Associate Professor Marie Ng, Director, NUS-IHME Global Burden of Disease Research Centre, NUS Medicine, and a co-author of the study. “The next frontier for Singapore is therefore not simply to add more years to life, but to reduce the burden of chronic illness, disability, and functional decline across the life course.”
Ng added that this will require stronger prevention, earlier intervention, rehabilitation, and sustained support to help people remain healthy and independent as people age.
A global trend and a gender health paradox
The pattern observed in Singapore reflects a much broader global trend. Between 1990 and 2023, average life expectancy worldwide increased from 64.6 to 73.8 years, while healthy life expectancy rose from 55.9 to 63.1 years. However, as total life expectancy increased more quickly, the global morbidity gap widened from 8.8 to 10.7 years.
The study suggests that many people are spending more years managing chronic conditions rather than remaining healthy for longer.
Researchers also found a persistent gender difference. In Singapore, women lived longer than men — 87.5 years compared with 83.1 years — but also spent more years in poor health. Women spent an estimated 12.1 years in poor health with illness and disability, compared with 10.4 years among men, mirroring a global pattern called “gender health paradox”.
“Health systems should be assessed not only by how many deaths they prevent, but also by whether people are able to live longer with good health, mobility, and independence,” said Professor Simon Hay, first author of the study and Director of Research Strategy at IHME, University of Washington.
Leading causes and risk factors
The conditions contributing most to Singapore’s morbidity gap were largely non-fatal but disabling. These included musculoskeletal disorders, mental disorders, unintentional injuries, sense organ diseases and cardiovascular diseases. The five leading risk factors were high fasting plasma glucose, high body-mass index, occupational risks, high systolic blood pressure and dietary risks.
“Tracking healthy life expectancy and the morbidity gap can help policymakers identify where additional attention and resources are needed,” Prof Ng added.
—
Source: National University of Singapore ; Image: Magnific
The study can be found at: Global, regional, and national trends in the morbidity gap and contributing diseases, injuries, and risk factors, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
