We Are So Not Ready for a Society Where Living to 100 Is Common

I assumed, given that I was working for a center on longevity, that I’d be writing about old people. But as I dug into its scientific papers, as well as reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United Nations, it was the data about kindergartners that stood out. According to some models, half of today’s 5-year-olds in the wealthiest countries are projected to reach 100. Despite gun violence and epidemics of obesity, diabetes and opioids—and accounting for disparities in race, gender and income—life expectancy in the US is still going up. While Covid-19 caused a short-term setback, from 79 in 2000 to 77.5 in 2023, according to the CDC, models suggest life expectancy will approach triple digits this century.