Mediterranean diet As the renowned medical journal Lancet points out, eating habits play a key role when it comes to Italians and longevity. A large part of the population can easily bring fresh and healthy food to the table, regardless of social status and income. This is what makes the difference.
There are two main explanations for Italy's aging population; a high life expectancy and a low birth rate. The result is that people live longer, alongside a declining number of births. Italy is among the countries with the highest life expectancy at birth worldwide.
The Mediterranean diet is a key factor in Italian longevity. Italians are a big fan of portion control and less fat. Sure, Italians eat their pizza and pasta, but their portion sizes are half the size than many Australian meals. There is also a moderate consumption of alcohol in Italy.
Chart and table of Italy life expectancy from 1950 to 2023. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100. The current life expectancy for Italy in 2023 is 84.00 years, a 0.17% increase from 2022.
People in Italy enjoy a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, beans, tomatoes, poultry, whole grains, olive oil, red wine, dairy ― and they consume very little red meat. Usually, Italians start the day with a quite small breakfast of coffee with/or without milk along with a cornetto (a small biscuit) or cereals.
Most dinners consist of a salad, the primo (pasta or soup dish) and the secondo (meat or fish dish). The Italians also enjoy cooked vegetables like artichokes, eggplants, mushrooms, spinach and zucchini, which they either buy at the market or grow in their gardens.
They live with a sense that there will be time for everything. And this decreases the level of stress. Somehow even with their long siesta and with often being late Italians are not in a rush, and as a result they are much less stressed and happier than people in many other cultures.
In Italy, young people stay in their parents' homes until the age of 25-35.
Can we be certain why average life expectancy in Italy is 81.5 years compared to 79.9 in the UK?
Cruciferous vegetables are the most nutrient-dense of all the foods. Eat a variety in both raw and cooked form daily — try some broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale or cabbage.
Maintain a healthy weight
The longevity diet recommends that people who are overweight eat only two meals a day – breakfast and either a midday or evening meal – plus just two low-sugar snacks. This is to try to reduce kilojoule intake for weight loss.
Again, eggs aren't necessary for living a long life and we don't recommend them, but if you must eat them eat no more than three eggs per week.
Eating plenty of fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and cooking with olive oil could explain the high life expectancy rate in Italy. The number of centenarians, or people that are over the age of 100, has tripled in Italy over the last 15 years.
U.S. life expectancy at birth
On average, a person living in the U.S. can expect to live to 76.1 years. Asian people have the longest average life expectancy (83.5 years) and American Indian/Alaska Natives the shortest (65.2 years).
There are two main explanations for Italy's aging population; a high life expectancy and a low birth rate. The result is that people live longer, alongside a declining number of births. Indeed, Italy is among the countries with the highest life expectancy at birth worldwide.
Key aspects. All Member States establish a minimum age for sexual consent. Most Member States set this between 14 and 16 years. The lowest minimum age is 14 years, set in seven Member States: Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Portugal.
Most Italians seek autonomy and independence, but due to the economic climate, many stay at home for years into their adulthood. Indeed, Italians leave their parents' home at one of the highest ages in Europe.
Italy's median age is 46.8 against a global value of 30.3 years. Italy's data is highlighted in the table below, use the filter and sort order options to allow easy comparison with other countries.
Italians, French, Greeks, Spanish, Croatians, and Israelis all enjoy high life expectancy, and good health with overall fewer health problems than their American counterparts due to their very simple common sense approach to food and lifestyle.
The country with the highest life expectancy at birth is Spain, with an average of 83.3 years, followed by Sweden (83.1 years), Luxembourg, and Italy (both 82.7 years). The lowest lifespan is predicted in Bulgaria (71.4 years), Romania (72.8 years), and Latvia (73.1 years).
Because Sardinia is an island, it is geographically isolated. The genes of Sardinians, for the most part, have remained undiluted. Researchers discovered a genetic marker, called M26, as one found in many of the centenarians on the island and is now associated with longevity.
Don't point to people: Italians don't like people pointing to them with their fingers. It makes them feel like animals at a zoo. Ask for permission before photographing someone: For the same reason, you should always ask their permission before taking a photo of someone.
Simple, fresh and cooked with a passion that was almost tangible. There are so many reasons to love Italy: its food, wines, language, architecture, design, people, history, landscapes, beaches… the list is endless. These are all great reasons to visit Italy and I always try to plan a trip back every year.
Italians eat predominantly sweet things for breakfast. This can be quite a shock if you are used to having toast, eggs, and bacon first thing in the morning. Instead, the traditional breakfast in Italy relies almost exclusively on baked goods like biscuits, cookies, pastries, rusks, and cakes.