The place where you live, the communities you belong to, your education level, ethnicity, race, income and gender, and whether you have a disability, all make a huge difference to how long you can expect to live a healthy life. People in the country with the highest life expectancy will, on average, live for 33 years more than those born in the country with the lowest life expectancy. There are major differences in life expectancy between countries at very similar income levels: data shows that regardless of income level, some countries have managed to halve premature death over the past half-century, while in others, it has remained the same or even increased. Within countries, life expectancy varies by decades, depending on which area you live in and the social group to which you belong