Japan tops world life expectancies with 83 years

Girls born in Japan today are likely to live until 2095, some with a good chance of seeing the dawn of the next century thanks to having the world’s longest life expectancy, the World Health Organization reported from Geneva on Thursday.

The tiny nation of San Marino boasts the longest average life span for men, at 81 years. The United States lags behind the top nations, with an average life expectancy of 78 for the two sexes combined.

Men in Sierra Leone fare the worst worldwide, living on average just 39 years.

Here are the nations at the top and bottom of the list of life expectancies for the two sexes combined as of 2007, according to WHO:

Longest life expectancies

Japan: 83

Australia: 82

Iceland: 82

Italy: 82

San Marino: 82

Switzerland: 82

Andorra: 81

Canada: 81

France: 81

Israel: 81

Monaco: 81

New Zealand: 81

Norway: 81

Singapore: 81

Spain: 81

Sweden: 81

Shortest life expectancies

Sierra Leone: 41

Afghanistan: 42

Zimbabwe: 45

Lesotho: 45

Zambia: 46

Chad: 46

Uganda: 48

Swaziland: 48

Mozambique: 48

Guinea-Bissau: 48

Central African Republic: 48

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Source: World Health Organization