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Record number of Danes living to be 100 years old
TheCopenhagenPost
February 13th, 2017
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This article is more than 6 years old.
Birthday candles could be in short supply
Still puffin’ (photo: Gnuic)
Danes are living longer than ever before. In 2016, 1,143 Danes celebrated their 100th birthday. According to figure from Statistics Denmark, that is the highest number in history.
“The 100-year-olds we have today have had a better childhood,” Kaare Christensen, an age researcher and professor at the University of Southern Denmark, told Metroxpress.
“And we treat illnesses better than we have in the past.”
Dating could get tricky
Women are doing far better than men in the 100-year-old sweepstakes. Last year 976 women made it to their century, compared to just 167 men.
“Studies suggest that men do not get treatment for illnesses as often as they should,” said Christensen. “Future generations of older people are better at it because they have a better relationship with healthcare.”
No end in sight
Christensen said that living conditions are constantly improving, so there is nothing to suggest that the positive trend will stop.
READ MORE: Number of lonely old men increasing in Denmark
“I think the average age will continue to rise in Denmark,” he said.
“There are other countries that are more advanced than Denmark where people live even longer, so there is room for further improvement.”
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