Global economic conditions create a stark 32-year gap in life expectancy between Monaco’s 87 years and Nigeria’s 55 years, according to the UN World Population Prospects for 2025.
At a Glance
- Global life expectancy is projected to be 73.5 years in 2025, with significant disparities between wealthy and poor nations
- Monaco leads with 87 years life expectancy while several African nations fall below 60 years
- Wealth strongly correlates with longevity through better healthcare infrastructure and resources
- Without immigration, the U.S. population would begin shrinking by 2033 due to declining fertility rates
- The global population is aging rapidly, with those over 65 becoming the fastest-growing demographic group
The Wealth-Longevity Connection
The relationship between economic prosperity and life expectancy has never been clearer than in the latest UN World Population Prospects. Wealthier regions consistently demonstrate longer lifespans, with Monaco projected to reach an impressive 87-year life expectancy by 2025. Similarly, other affluent European nations and developed Asian economies like Japan and South Korea maintain life expectancies exceeding 80 years despite their larger populations. This pattern underscores how economic resources translate directly into health outcomes through better medical infrastructure, preventive care, and overall quality of life.
The stark contrast appears when examining countries at the opposite end of the economic spectrum. Several African nations struggle with life expectancies below 60 years, with Nigeria recording the lowest at just 55 years. This 32-year gap between Monaco and Nigeria represents more than just numbers – it reflects fundamental disparities in healthcare access, nutrition, sanitation, and overall living standards. The most significant mortality differences occur during early childhood and after age 60, precisely when medical infrastructure becomes most critical.
Global Population Trends and Economic Implications
The world population is projected to reach 8.23 billion in 2025, growing at a rate of 0.85% annually. This growth, however, is uneven and slowing. According to projections, the global population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050 before peaking at 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s. Afterward, a gradual decline is expected – a unprecedented demographic shift in human history. Falling fertility rates are the primary driver of this slowdown, with two-thirds of the world now living in areas where women have fewer than 2.1 children on average, below the replacement level needed to maintain population size.
For developed economies like the United States, these demographic shifts create complex challenges. By 2033, annual deaths in the U.S. are projected to exceed births, making immigration the sole source of population growth. Without immigration, the American population would begin shrinking that same year. The ratio of working-age adults (25-64) to retirement-age individuals (65+) is declining precipitously, from 2.8-to-1 in 2025 to just 2.2-to-1 by 2055, straining social security systems and healthcare infrastructure.
The Widening Gap Between Nations
While global life expectancy has improved from 64 years in 1990 to 73.3 years in 2024 and is projected to reach 77 years by 2050, this progress is unevenly distributed. Western European countries consistently outperform Eastern European nations in longevity metrics. Even more concerning, many developing economies face significant hurdles in catching up to advanced economies in terms of per capita income. Most low-income countries are unlikely to achieve even middle-income status by 2050, according to World Bank projections.
These developing economies face a perfect storm of challenges: weak investment, aging populations without adequate social safety nets, increasing geopolitical tensions, and mounting climate change impacts. Global economic growth is expected to stabilize at 2.7% in 2025-26, but this rate is insufficient for meaningful convergence between rich and poor nations. The population over 65 is becoming the fastest-growing age group globally, expected to reach 2.2 billion by the 2070s, creating additional economic pressures in countries that are still developing their healthcare systems and social protections.
