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I’m willing to bet that most of the difference comes from obesity rates.

40% of Americans are obese, which massively increases your risk of life-shortening conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.

In which case the difference between the US and Europe should narrow as America goes on Ozempic and friends, and lifespan increase should accelerate in the US, making the article look wrong.

I guess we’ll find out over the next decade or two!

That said, I’m not sure we’d hit 100 even if everyone was in perfect shape. Most healthy people still die in their 80s or 90s.

By way of population density, the US ends up doing better on lots of pollution metrics.

Plus no diesel fetish.

Which suggests if the same particulate exposure risk was present the US life expectancy would be even worse?

Covid altered trend lines but the gap predates covid by decades.

(The diesel thing, yes, but also climate affects smog. Don't live in Bologna)

It may be a huge amount, but in the next few years it's only going to get huger.