Secrets of longevity: which of the men have more chances to live longer than women

Men who are happily married and have higher education are more likely to outlive women. Danish scientists came to this conclusion. They used a special statistical approach – “survival” statistics – the study of gender differences in mortality in 199 populations on all continents during the last two centuries.

Experts note that often gender differences in survival are revealed by comparing life expectancy. It summarizes the average life expectancy, rather than the number of years lived. As a result, men do not live as long as women.

New data allow us to argue with this. They showed that one to two out of four men (25–50%) outlived women over the past 200 years. This challenges the conventional wisdom that men don't live as long as women.

In developed countries, the researchers found, the likelihood of men outliving women fell until the 1970s, after which it gradually increased in all populations. The increase and decrease in gender differences in life expectancy were largely explained by smoking and other behavioral factors.

The researchers note that men are more likely to live longer than women in low- and middle-income countries. . Statistics also varied depending on marital status and level of education. The probability that men would outlive women was 39% for married and 37% for single. It was higher for men with a college degree than for those without.

Married men with a college degree are more likely to live longer than unmarried women with a high school education. Scientists also note that couples affect each other's health. This is especially true for men, who benefit more from stable relationships than women.