Where people age slowest? Scientists reveal three countries

Where people age quickly

Among the countries assessed, people in Egypt and South Africa age the fastest. The biological age of Egyptians is on average 4.85 years older than their chronological age, while South Africans age almost four years ahead. Hungary, Ecuador, and Colombia also appeared near the bottom of the ranking.

Where people age slowly

The healthiest indicators of aging were demonstrated by Northern European countries. Denmark, Sweden, and Slovakia stand out in particular.

Researchers explained Denmark's advantage by high structural equality, strong democratic institutions, a high level of education, clean air, and a low rate of cardiovascular diseases.

Egypt, on the other hand, according to them, has significant disadvantages, including socio-economic inequality, high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, which explains the noticeably accelerated aging of its population.

The study has limitations, since only 40 countries were included in the analysis, while there are more than 190 in the world. The United States, Japan, and many other countries were not included.

Chronological vs. biological age

Chronological age is the number of years we have lived.

Biological age is the age of our cells, tissues, and organs. It can be higher or lower than chronological age, as it is influenced by genetics and lifestyle. A biological age that exceeds chronological age increases the risk of developing chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

An international team of researchers analyzed data from nearly 162,000 people and found that accelerated aging is influenced by:

• Low income;

• Poor air quality;

• Socio-economic and gender inequality;

• Limited political freedoms and weak democracies.

"How a person ages depends not only on their choices or biology but also on their physical, social, and political environment, and these effects differ greatly between countries," noted Sandra Baez, one of the authors of the study.

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