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Traveller women

The big fat truth about Gypsy life

M y Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, the television series that ended last week and attracted nine million viewers, was designed to "throw an overdue light on a secretive, marginalised and little-understood segment of our society", according to the blurb from Channel 4. But the show largely avoided the myriad of problems, such as discrimination, poor health and poverty faced by Travellers, except for what felt like a tokenistic final episode, and instead focused on over-the-top wedding dresses and other excesses.

MBFGW was about Gypsies and Travellers, but there was criticism from both communities that C4 failed to properly distinguish between the two. There are around 300,000 Gypsy Roma and Irish Travellers in the UK – Roma Gypsies are originally from northern India, whereas Travellers are of Irish origin – and both groups are nomadic. Since 2002, Travellers have been recognised as an ethnic group and are protected under the Race Relations Act. Last week C4 was accused by the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain of fuelling "hatred and suspicion" of their way of life and have demanded a right of reply. 

Kathleen, who lives with her six children in a three-bedroom trailer, is fairly typical of an Irish Traveller woman, except that she is separated from her husband. Along with many other Gypsy and Traveller women in the UK, Kathleen was a victim of domestic violence. Although there is no conclusive evidence about the prevalence of this abuse, a study in Wrexham, cited in a paper by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2007, found that 61% of married English Gypsy women and 81% of Irish Travellers had experienced domestic abuse. And a significant number of those women who had reported the abuse appeared to have suffered more severe and sustained violence than those within mainstream communities.

"I left him and went back to my mammy but he kept finding me, taking me home and getting me pregnant," Kathleen says. She now feels safe because she has male family members living on the same site. "With my brother close by, he wouldn't dare come here."

It is rare for women to call the police for help. "You would be seen as a grass and disowned by the whole community," says Bernie O'Roarke, outreach and resettlement worker for domestic violence charity Solas Anois (Gaelic for Comfort Now), which is based in London. The situation probably isn't helped by the fact that there is only one, 10-room refuge dedicated to Traveller women in the UK, also in London. But domestic violence is just one of the issues tackled by O'Roarke during her visits. The welfare needs, particularly those of the women and girls, of this community are vast. The women are three times more likely to miscarry or have a still-born child compared to the rest of the population, mainly, it is thought, as a result of reluctance to undergo routine gynaecological care, and infections linked to poor sanitation and lack of clean water. The rate of suicides among Traveller women is significantly higher than in the general population, and life expectancy is low for women and men, with one third of Travellers dying before the age of 59. And as many Traveller girls are taken out of education prior to secondary school to prevent them mixing with boys from other cultures, illiteracy rates are high.

O'Roarke is a familiar face on the sites around London, offering women and their children help with health care, education and finance. The men leave the women alone to deal with these issues, so if the women do want to talk about violence and abuse, they can do so without fear of the men overhearing.

I visit some trailers with O'Roarke at a site in London and am struck by how the women seem to manage, usually with large families, to keep everything so clean and tidy. There are colourful displays of Royal Crown Derby crockery, handed down from mother to daughter on her wedding day. There is certainly no sign of wealth or excessive spending. Many tell me they struggle to feed their children, and have no savings or bank account.

Things seem set to get worse for Traveller women. Only 19 days after the general election last year, £50m that had been allocated to building new sites across London was scrapped from the budget. O'Roarke is expecting to be the only Traveller liaison worker in the capital before long – her funding comes from the Irish government.

"Most of the women can't read or write. Who is supposed to help them if they get rid of the bit of support they have now?" asks O'Roarke. "We will be seeing Traveller women and their children on the streets because of these cuts. If they get a letter saying they are in danger of eviction but they can't read it, what are they supposed to do?"

Conditions on the site are as grim as the homes are spotless. The trailers are not connected to water pipes, and the toilets, bathrooms and cooking facilities are in a small, unheated shed across the yard. "In the snow and rain, the little ones are always getting colds," says Brigid, who lives in the next trailer to Kathleen. "And there are so many pot holes that the council haven't filled, you can go flying in the dark."

But living on a site is about being part of the community. When Traveller girls are growing up, they are only allowed to go out with other family members, and once married, her husband rules the roost. "The men would never allow a woman out with her friends," says Kathleen. "That's why we want to live on a site, for company." Kathleen, after spending time in a refuge after finally managing to escape her husband, was initially allocated a house, as opposed to a plot on a site. Almost immediately her children became depressed. "It's like putting a horse in a box. He would buck to get out," says Kathleen. "We can't live in houses; we need freedom and fresh air. I was on anti-depressives. The children couldn't go out because the neighbours would complain about the noise."  

Since moving to their site two years ago, Kathleen and her children have been far happier. Until MBFGW was screened, that is. "Now every week I go to the school and the parents are talking about that programme. They won't let our kids mix with theirs because they say we stink and don't talk properly. Settled kids won't even play sports with ours in case they touch them."

Mary, Kathleen's 15-year-old daughter, is upset by the series too, and says that she has faced further prejudice since it hit the screens. "That programme didn't show the real way we go on. All my friends are asking if it's true what they show on telly, and I think they've gone different [towards me] since it was shown."

In one episode the viewer was informed that young Traveller men at weddings and other social occasions use something known as "grabbing" to force a reluctant girl to kiss them. One newspaper report called it a "secret courting ritual".

"Grabbing has never happened to me or any of my friends and the first time I ever saw it was on the telly," says Mary. "I wouldn't put up with it, and I don't know why they made out we all do it. It's just one nasty boy they showed."

Brigid adds: "Grabbing has never happened to my kids. I have honestly never heard of it. It's all make-believe."

Helen, a Traveller in her 20s on the same site, is also furious about the portrayal of women in MBFGW. "The way us women come across in the programme is a disgrace," she said. "It shows us as nothing but slaves to the men, only good for cooking and cleaning, and always being available to open our legs to them. We don't want that for our daughters."

Helen is also worried that Traveller women are being portrayed as rich and spoilt when, in fact, life is a struggle for the majority. "I don't know anyone so rich that they can afford to splash out on wedding dresses like that. Mine was secondhand. They'll now be saying we are all criminals, or sponging off the state." I ask a number of Traveller women how representative of the Traveller and Gypsy communities those featured in MBFGW are, and they all come back with a similar answer: the programme focused on a small number of individuals from five sites (out of an estimated 300-plus across the UK), and in any community, there are a minority who have access to large amounts of cash.

I ask O'Roarke what she thinks the future holds for Travellers. She is worried. "That TV programme has put our work back 100 years. And if these women lose the little support they have, they literally will be left to rot."

She is concerned that problems affecting Traveller women and girls, such as lack of education, forced and early marriage, and abuse within the home, are not being taken seriously.

"These issues do not just affect certain Asian communities," says O'Roarke. "We have had Traveller women in the refuge who have been forced to marry someone who they have never met, and marrying cousins is not uncommon."

But some say that things are slowly improving. "I think it's changing an awful lot for the young ones," says Kathleen. "We don't want them to have no education and get married at 16, and have loads of kids and the same life as we did."

Would Kathleen ever marry again? It is out of the question, she tells me. These things are just not done. "You marry for life," she says. "If I was to have another man, my daughters would never be married because I would have brought shame on them."

O'Roarke would like to see changes that include: "Better support for the women to keep their daughters in education, and a serious commitment from the government to challenge the prejudice thrown at these people."

While people are being entertained by watching Katie Price-replica weddings on TV, and girls dressed in Beyoncé-style outfits dirty dancing, women such as Kathleen, Brigid and Helen are living in substandard conditions and facing daily prejudice while trying to give their children the best start in life. The reality is a far cry from the C4 depiction and is rarely aired. O'Roarke tells me that Traveller women are usually reluctant to allow outsiders into their homes, despite the impression given by MBFGW. "But we just want our side of the story put across," says Brigid, "so settled people know we are not like that."

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traveller life expectancy

In the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, marginalised communities are at even greater risk than usual . These include groups like the Irish Travellers, which are so often ignored within policy , or openly discriminated against .

Given so little publicity has been given to this particular group, this blog sets out to explore why Irish Travellers tend to have poorer physical and mental health, and what we can do to change this.

Who are the Irish Travellers?

There are many different groups within the Traveller community. One of the largest is Irish Travellers.

Irish Travellers are recognised as an ethnic group in the Equality Act due to their distinct culture and identity.

Travellers are often characterised by a nomadic lifestyle where they move from one place to another. This is compared with the general population who usually follow a settled lifestyle and live in one place.

However, not all Travellers are nomadic. And even those who are sometimes have to adopt a settled lifestyle due to old age, health needs, or education needs.

So being part of the Traveller community is about more than being nomadic, as Traveller activist, Michael McDonagh, explained in Dr Colm Power’s report on England’s Irish Travellers :

“When Travellers speak of Travelling, we mean something different from what country people [sedentary people] usually understand by it […]. For Travellers, the physical fact of moving is just one aspect of a nomadic mind-set that permeates every aspect of our lives. Nomadism entails a way of looking at the world, a different way of perceiving things, a different attitude to accommodation, to work, to life in general.”

Irish travellers have poorer health outcomes than the general population

Irish Traveller life-expectancy estimates are shocking.

Data from the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study suggest that Traveller men have a life expectancy of only 63 years (vs 78 in the general population). For Traveller women, that figure is 71 years (vs 82 in the general population). This means Irish Travellers die about 11-15 years earlier than the general population.

The gap in healthy life expectancy is even more striking. Irish Travellers will experience 16-17 more years of poorer health than the general population, and they are more likely to be categorised as disabled .

Mental health is also worse among Travellers. 60% of Travellers said that their mental health was not good enough for one day or more in the last 30 days (vs 20% in the general population).

Suicide is a real issue, with a suicide rate for Travellers that is 6-7 times higher than in the general population.

Irish Traveller health is worse for three main reasons.

The underlying reasons for the inequalities we see in Irish Traveller health are multiple, complex and inter-related.

But put simply, Irish Travellers are more likely to develop certain conditions in the first place, have less access to health services, and have low uptake of health services when they are available.

First, social, environmental and economic factors mean Irish Travellers are more likely to develop health conditions .

The Irish Traveller community have many risk factors for developing chronic conditions, such as lower socioeconomic status. For example, unemployment rates amongst Travellers are as high as 80% (vs 13% in the general population).

It’s not only demographic differences at play however. Travellers still have worse health even when these are accounted for, so there are other reasons too.

Discrimination itself has been linked with poor health .

Compounding this, Travellers have many cultural, psychological and environmental factors that can make it harder to adopt healthy habits. For example, over-eating is encouraged through things like catering for a large extended family and chubbiness is seen as a sign of a healthy child.

Travellers often experience racism and social exclusion when they attempt to exercise, for example at gyms. Women in particular have little opportunity to exercise due to traditional gender roles that encourage family commitments.

Mental health can be impacted by the same factors as physical health. On top of this, reasons for poor mental health include poor physical health, bereavement and discrimination. This is impacted further by the stigma attached to mental illness within the Traveller community that can stop those who need help from getting it.

Second, Irish Travellers experience lower levels of access to healthcare.

Regularly moving location can make it hard to engage with health care , whether moves are by choice or enforced due to local regulations.

This is partly because of practical reasons. Most GPs need a permanent address to register patients. Health records aren’t easily and quickly accessible nationally so patient notes often can’t be accessed.

It’s also because constantly changing providers makes continuity of care difficult and it’s easy for people to fall through the gaps of services.

Some of these access issues could be deemed unconscious institutional racism. Pavee Point, an organisation that aims to improve the human rights of Irish Travellers, explains this as …

“Processes that consciously or unconsciously result in the systematic exclusion of minority ethnic groups. It is most visible in the inequitable outcomes for minority ethnic groups from the policies and practices of organisations and institutions throughout society.”

Third, there’s usually low uptake of health services among Irish Travellers.

Irish Travellers often don’t want to engage with health care because of a fatalist attitude towards treatable health conditions, low expectations around good health, and a common belief that health care professionals cannot substantially improve health .

In a 2010 study, only 41% of Travellers “completely trusted the health care professional treating [them]” (vs 82% in general population).

There’s also a common attitude towards close-knit extended families taking care of health problems themselves.

Then when Travellers do want to engage with health services, it is made difficult for them by a system and professionals who don’t understand or cater for their needs.

This is often compounded and perpetuated by negative experiences and high levels of overt racism . For example, receptionists can be a barrier to get past and health professionals can have low expectations of the Traveller patient and their health.

Effort is needed from all sides to improve this

Policy is often integral to reducing inequality. Yet, like other itinerant groups , Irish Travellers are often forgotten about in health care policy .

Even though they are a recognised ethnic group, Travellers are not mentioned in most government initiatives . This reveals a woeful oversight.

Simplified Data believe that everybody should have access to evidence-based medical treatment. This mission ties in with Justice Studio’s understanding that health disparities like those witnessed in Traveller populations are issues of social injustice. We know that health outcomes are not necessary facts of biological makeup, but result from social, economic, and environmental drivers as well.

For groups who are at the margins of society, disproportionate health risks are embodied, lived experiences of broader social and political injustices. To really see improvements in health, it will be vital to break down some of the barriers between Irish Travellers and health professionals.

This will need to be written into health policy, and will require more education for health care professionals around the specific health needs of Travellers. There are examples of fantastic work being done to improve Traveller health that are mostly led by or operate in partnership with the Traveller community.

The complicated problem of Irish Traveller health will require complex solutions. But the gains that could be made by reducing the huge health inequalities experienced by Irish Travellers would be well worth the effort.

Danielle Bodicoat is an independent medical statistics and writing consultant at Simplified Data and an Associate Consultant at Justice Studio. She specialises in health-related evidence reviews and meta-analysis. You can find out more about Danielle and her work on her website .

Featured image: An Irish Traveller in Dublin watches neighbouring children play from her trailer window . Photobymack 2011 .

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Pavee Point

traveller life expectancy

Traveller and Roma Centre

Ageing for travellers redefined as 40+ years due to low life expectancy.

traveller life expectancy

Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre welcomes new indicators in ageing from the Department of Health that take account of the gap in life expectancy for Irish Travellers.

A report by the healthy and positive ageing initiative, launched today, acknowledges the gap in health outcomes and includes indicators that redefine traveller ageing as 40+, recognising the short lifespan and early ageing of travellers., according to census 2016, just 3% of the traveller population were 65 years or older. this indicates a disproportionate number of travellers continue to die younger and at a faster rate than the majority population., different needs, the report ‘developing indicators of positive ageing for travellers’ also acknowledges that policies and services for older people must take into account the needs of different groups., the report shows that other countries have identified the diverse nature of ageing. in doing so, they have developed innovative solutions and mechanisms to address these gaps., old traveller – only 40+, speaking at today’s launch missie collins said: “this report shows there are different needs for travellers because we don’t live as long.  to be an old traveller means that you’re only over 40, an age where most settled people are starting off their lives..

traveller life expectancy

Missie Collins speaking at Positive Ageing event.

“Where I live there are 300 Traveller families. I can count a fist of them that are over 60.  My husband died in his early 50s.  There are many Travellers who don’t get to see their 50 th birthday.  That’s why this report is very important.

All ireland traveller health study 2010, national traveller health action plan – urgent, missie then called for the urgent publication and implementation of the national traveller health action plan : “what we want to see is action.  my community is dying before their time and to stop this from happening we need the national traveller health action plan.  we need the department of health to work with us and commit to improving travellers health., “in 2018 the health minister simon harris said he would publish this action plan, but so far nothing has been done.”, also speaking at the launch pavee point co director martin collins welcomed the report as a positive development towards addressing the specific needs of older travellers., “in 2013, the first national positive ageing strategy was published in ireland and as a result, key indicators were developed to monitor progress in positive ageing,” said mr. collins..

traveller life expectancy

Martin Collins participates in panel discussion.

“However, the indicators were not fit for purpose for all groups, as acknowledged in the report, and therefore there was a clear need to develop a distinct set of positive ageing indicators for Travellers.

Ethnic data, “but serious gaps remain,” he said. “these include the absence of disaggregated data on the basis of ethnicity across all routine data collection systems, a gap which has been highlighted persistently by pavee point and by a number of un treaty-monitoring bodies, european institutions and equality and human rights bodies.”, low employment for travellers, a second report from positive ageing showed that working in later life can have a significant influence on income levels and can be n indicator of better health and wellbeing.  however, indicators for irish travellers aged 40+ from census 2016 show an employment rate of just 13%., according to the report, 88% of older irish travellers have access to a piped water supply and 56% of this group have good self-rated health – compared to a national average of 80%., however, 58% of irish travellers aged 40+ have a chronic disease and almost a third report difficulty dressing, bathing or moving around the home – an indicator of disability., pavee point would like to acknowledge the work of travellers, traveller organisations and the healthy and positive ageing team in developing these indicators.  pavee point urges health policymakers in this area to take on board and implement the recommendations of this report., read about the work of pavee point’s health programme ..

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How does U.S. life expectancy compare to other countries?

By Shameek Rakshit ,  Matthew McGough , and  Krutika Amin Twitter   KFF

January 30, 2024

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In 1980, life expectancy at birth in the U.S. and in comparably large and wealthy countries was similar, but over recent decades, life expectancy improved by much more in peer nations than it has in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic   increased mortality   and premature death rates   in the U.S. by more than it did in most peer countries, widening a gap that already existed before the pandemic.   

This chart collection examines how life expectancy in the U.S. compares to that of other similarly large and wealthy countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).   

Life expectancy in the U.S. decreased by 1.3 years from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic to 2022, whereas in peer countries life expectancies fell by an average of 0.5 years in this period. Life expectancy began rebounding from the effects of the pandemic earlier in 2021 in most peer nations. While life expectancy in the U.S. increased by 1.1 years from 2021 to 2022, U.S. life expectancy is still well below pre-pandemic levels and continues to lag behind life expectancy in comparable countries, on average.

In 2022, life expectancy partially rebounded in the U.S. while stabilizing in most comparable countries    

Life expectancy in the U.S. and peer countries generally increased from 1980 to 2019, but decreased in most countries in 2020 due to COVID-19. From 2021 to 2022, life expectancy at birth began to rebound in most comparable countries while it continued to decline in the U.S. During this period, the U.S. had a higher rate of excess mortality   per capita and a larger increase in premature mortality per capita than peer countries as a result of COVID-19.   

In 2022, the CDC  estimates  life expectancy at birth in the U.S. increased to 77.5 years, up 1.1 years from 76.4 years in 2021, but still down 1.3 years from 78.8 years in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The average life expectancy at birth among comparable countries was 82.2 years in 2022, down 0.1 years from 2021 and down 0.5 years from 2019. Life expectancy varies considerably within the U.S., though life expectancy in  all U.S. states   falls below the average for comparable countries.

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traveller life expectancy

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U.S. life expectancy growth in 2022 was mostly driven by a  decline   in COVID-19 mortality. Still, COVID-19 erased nearly two decades of life expectancy progress in the U.S., becoming similar to 2004 estimates, whereas the average life expectancy for comparable countries is down only marginally, to 2018 levels. Peer countries generally experienced smaller declines in life expectancy than the U.S. at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and many even witnessed slight life expectancy growth in 2021 and 2022.   

The life expectancy data presented here are period life expectancy estimates based on excess mortality or the observed mortality rate in a given year compared to previous years. Period life expectancy at birth represents the mortality experience of a hypothetical cohort if current conditions persisted into the future and not the mortality experience of a birth cohort. On the other hand, cohort life expectancy estimates, or estimates of how long people born in a year are expected to live, are a combination of historical and projected mortality rates for a birth cohort with the assumption that mortality rates will improve in the future. As a result, cohort life expectancy estimates are higher than period life expectancy estimates and less reflective of changes in mortality in the present.  

Among peer countries, t he U.S. has the lowest life expectancy at birth for both women and men

In the U.S. and all other comparable countries, women tend to live longer than men. However, the U.S. ranks lowest in life expectancy for both men and women among countries with high GDP per capita.   

The life expectancy gap between men and women is wider in the U.S. than in comparable countries

In 2022, relative to the previous year, life expectancy at birth for men increased by 1.3 years in the U.S. and increased by 0.1 years in comparable countries, on average. Life expectancy at birth increased by 0.9 years for women in the U.S. and decreased by about 0.2 years for women in comparable countries, on average.  

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. experienced less rapid increases in life expectancy for both men and women than comparable countries, on average. The gap in life expectancy between women and men in the U.S. has been wider than the gender gap in comparable countries, on average, since 2012. In 2019, life expectancy differences between women and men were 5.1 years in the United States and 4.3 years in comparable countries. This difference   increased  to 5.8 years in 2021 in the U.S. and 4.6 years in comparable countries due to COVID-19. Despite the partial rebound in U.S. life expectancy in 2022, the life expectancy gap between women and men only dropped to 5.4 years while the average gap in comparable countries declined to 4.4 years.    

The disparity in life expectancy between the U.S. and peer countries persists at older ages  

Since most people start to interact with the healthcare system more regularly as they get older, measuring life expectancy at older ages may provide a better sense of how well the health system performs (though it is still influenced by how healthy people are when they reach older ages). The disparity between the U.S. and comparable countries continues at older ages and becomes more pronounced as a share of overall life expectancy as people get older.   

In 2022, comparable country average life expectancy exceeded life expectancy in the U.S. by 5.2% at birth to 8.9% at age 65 for women and from 6.9% at birth to 8.4% at age 65 for men.   

The U.S. has the lowest life expectancy among large, wealthy countries while it far outspends its peers on healthcare  

On a per person basis, U.S. health spending is nearly double that of similarly large and wealthy nations. In 2022, the U.S. spent over $4,000 more per capita on healthcare than the next highest spending country. Meanwhile, the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy among peer countries.   

Both life expectancy and health spending may be influenced by factors outside of the health system, such as income inequality, investments in social services , and other socioeconomic  factors .   

In 1980, the U.S. and comparable countries had similar life expectancies and health spending, but the trends have diverged in the last few decades  

Among peer nations, the U.S. has the highest per person healthcare spending, reaching an estimated $12,555 per capita in 2022 based on National Health Expenditure (NHE) data. However, the higher spending on healthcare in the U.S. does not translate into longer lifespans. Back in 1980, life expectancy and per capita healthcare spending levels in the U.S. were similar to those in comparison countries. However, recently healthcare spending has grown faster in the U.S. than in its peers, while life expectancy grew slower in the U.S. than in peer countries until 2022.   

In 2022, the U.S., which substantially outspent its peers and experienced a partial rebound in life expectancy from COVID-19, still had the lowest life expectancy, and Japan, the country with the lowest per person health spending, had the highest life expectancy among similarly large and wealthy nations.

Life expectancy data in this analysis were gathered from the  CDC ; the  OECD , the Australian Bureau of Statistics ; the German Federal Statistical Office ;   INSEE ; the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare ;   Statbel ;   Statistics Canada ;  Statistics Netherlands ;   Statistics Sweden ; the Swiss Federal Statistical Office; and the U.K. Office for National Statistics . Life expectancy data for all countries are either estimated or provisional. Numbers on charts may not average to the comparable country average due to rounding. OECD life expectancy data is unavailable for Australia in 1980. OECD life expectancy data have a break in series for Canada in 1980, Germany in 1991, Switzerland and Belgium in 2011, and France in 2013. U.K. life expectancy data for both 2021 and 2022 come from the U.K. Office for National Statistics .

Health spending data in this analysis were gathered from the  OECD for all countries. For health spending data, the 1991 data point for Germany is unavailable; from 1980-1990, health spending data in France is only available for 1980, 1985, and 1990. Therefore, data for France is only shown from 1990 onward. OECD health spending data have a break in series for Austria in 1990 and 2004; Belgium in 1995 and 2003; France in 1995, 2003, 2006, and 2013; Germany in 1992; Japan in 2011; the Netherlands in 1998; Sweden in 1993 and 2011; and Switzerland in 1995. Health spending data for all countries is either estimated or provisional.  

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The Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF are partnering to monitor how well the U.S. healthcare system is performing in terms of quality and cost.

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Health status of Gypsies and Travellers in England

To provide the first valid and reliable estimate of the health status of Gypsies and Travellers in England by using standardised instruments to compare their health with that of a UK resident non‐Traveller sample, drawn from different socioeconomic and ethnic groups, matched for age and sex.

Epidemiological survey, by structured interview, of quota sample and concurrent age–sex‐matched comparators.

The homes or alternative community settings of the participants at five study locations in England.

Participants

Gypsies and Travellers of UK or Irish origin (n = 293) and an age–sex‐matched comparison sample (n = 260); non‐Gypsies or Travellers from rural communities, deprived inner‐city White residents and ethnic minority populations.

Gypsies and Travellers reported poorer health status for the last year, were significantly more likely to have a long‐term illness, health problem or disability, which limits daily activities or work, had more problems with mobility, self‐care, usual activities, pain or discomfort and anxiety or depression as assessed using the EuroQol‐5D health utility measure, and a higher overall prevalence of reported chest pain, respiratory problems, arthritis, miscarriage and premature death of offspring. No inequality was reported in diabetes, stroke and cancer.

Conclusions

Significant health inequalities exist between the Gypsy and Traveller population in England and their non‐Gypsy counterparts, even when compared with other socially deprived or excluded groups, and with other ethnic minorities.

There is a lack of reliable research evidence on the health status of adult Gypsies and Travellers in England 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and no well‐designed epidemiological research, most studies being small, localised and descriptive. These studies indicate high infant mortality and perinatal death rates, 5 , 6 low birth weight, 6 low immunisation uptake 6 , 7 and high child accident rate. 6 Practitioner accounts cite health problems that are attributed partly to adverse environmental conditions: accidents, gastroenteritis, upper respiratory infections and otitis media. 8 , 9 , 10 There is little robust evidence on the comparative health status of adult Gypsies and Travellers, with data only available from Ireland, 11 our own pilot study in Sheffield 12 and the confidential enquiry into maternal deaths in the UK. 13

The 1987 national study of Travellers' health status in Ireland 11 reported a high death rate for all causes and lower life expectancy for Irish Travellers: women 11.9 years and men 9.9 years lower than the non‐Traveller population. Our pilot study of 87 Gypsies and Travellers matched for age and sex with indigenous working class residents in a socially deprived area of Sheffield, 12 reported statistically and clinically significant differences between Gypsies and Travellers and their non‐Gypsy comparators in some aspects of health status, and significant associations with smoking and with frequency of travelling. The report of the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK, 1997–1999, found that Gypsies and Travellers have “possibly the highest maternal death rate among all ethnic groups”. 13

The people who are referred to as Gypsies and Travellers in this paper comprise English Gypsies, Welsh Gypsies, Scottish Gypsy Travellers and Irish Travellers. Each of these groups has a separate ethnic identity that is particularly evident from their different languages, but they share many aspects of a common cultural identity as traditional Travellers or Romani people. Our study excluded New Age Travellers, who have opted for an alternative lifestyle but are not of the same culture, and European Roma, comparatively recent migrants to Britain.

Estimates of the numbers of Gypsies and Travellers in Britain are imprecise, there are no census data, and other methods (eg, caravan counts) give only approximate numbers. Best estimates suggest that there are around 300 000 Gypsies, 14 , 15 suggesting that this is a significant minority ethnic group. As the dearth of reliable information contributes to their historical neglect in public health policy and planning, this study was designed to provide the first valid and reliable estimate of the comparative health status of Gypsies and Travellers in England.

Previous work guided the choice of comparison group. Our pilot study gave a preliminary indication that Gypsies and Travellers had poorer health than their white settled counterparts living in an inner city and much poorer health than is normative for higher socioeconomic groups. 12 In this study, we wished to make a more robust and stringent comparison, testing the hypothesis that these health inequalities are greater than one would expect simply on the basis of socioeconomic disadvantage or ethnic minority group membership. In addition to allowing comparison with normative UK health status data, the present study therefore makes concurrent comparisons with groups sharing key characteristics related to possible sources of variance in health. Not all the comparators were poor or from ethnic minorities; we also included a settled rural and semi‐rural population of mixed socioeconomic status as a comparison group with non‐urban lifestyles. Multivariate and subgroup analysis will be reported in a further paper.

The null hypothesis is that the health of Gypsies and Travellers would be similar to that of a sample, matched pairwise for age and sex, drawn from groups in different ways comparable in terms of social disadvantage, ethnic group membership or non‐urban lifestyle.

Sample and sample size

As no statistics about the size or demographic composition of the Gypsy and Traveller population in England are available, the lack of a sampling frame rules out probabilistic sampling methods. Instead, we quota‐sampled across accommodation types, sex, age and ethnic subgroups within the Gypsy and Traveller population, and compared them with a concurrent English‐speaking non‐Traveller sample, matched for age and sex. To enable planned comparisons and later multivariate analyses, we included other ethnic minorities, White people from socially deprived inner‐city populations, and a socioeconomically mixed rural and urban population.

Gypsies and Travellers were sampled from five localities (Sheffield, Leicester, Norfolk, London and Bristol), both sexes, Irish or British, across roadside, official, private and housed accommodation sites. We then attempted to match each Gypsy or Traveller to an English‐speaking non‐Traveller of the same age and sex. The comparison group comprised: (1) Low socioeconomic status white residents (English or Irish) from a socially deprived urban area; (2) English residents of mixed socioeconomic status from both rural and inner city communities; (3) British Muslim residents of Pakistani origin of mixed socioeconomic status and (4) British Black people of African Caribbean origin of mixed socioeconomic status.

Our study focus was adult English‐speaking ethnic groups of Gypsies and Travellers. For this reason, New Age Travellers and Roma refugees from Europe, who are likely to experience different social and cultural influences on health, were excluded. Children aged <16 years were also excluded.

Sample size was calculated using the EuroQol‐5 dimensions (EQ‐5D) health utility measure (described fully in the Measures section) as the primary outcome and data from a pilot study, 11 which suggested a difference of 0.14 (SD 0.48) in EQ‐5D scores between Travellers and a comparison group of poor White inner city dwellers. Assuming similar levels of variability in the main study, to have 90% power to detect a 0.10 difference in EQ‐5D utility scores between Gypsies and Travellers and their age–sex‐matched comparison group as significant at the 5% (two‐sided) level would require 250 Gypsies or Travellers' interviews paired with age–sex‐matched controls. For secondary analysis of different subgroups, assuming equal numbers per category, 83 Gypsies and Travellers would be required for the study to have an 80% power to detect a 0.15 difference in EQ‐5D scores between the subgroups and their matched controls. On the basis of this power calculation, we planned to interview a minimum of 250 Gypsies and Travellers with quotas (minimum, n = 83) for each of: men and women; Irish and British; across roadside, official and housed accommodation sites. No quota was set for private sites or for geographical location.

Participants were identified through the knowledge of local health visitors or other community services and recruited at their site of residence. Health visitors with specific responsibility for this group were our primary access point because they see all Gypsies and Travellers who arrive in their area to assess health needs. We specifically asked them to approach as wide a group as possible and not to target those with known ill health. Traveller education services and networking within the Gypsies and Travellers' community were secondary sources of access.

To take account of Gypsy and Traveller population movement and seasonal variations to responses, each location was visited in each of the four seasons over the fieldwork phase.

Comparison subjects were recruited from the lists of general practices including two inner‐city deprived areas with socioeconomically disadvantaged groups identified by postal code. Comparators from ethnic minorities were recruited through participating general practices in those localities with high numbers of the required group. Irrespective of whether the individual had consulted the general practitioners, letters of invitation were sent from the general practice to individuals of the required age and sex, inviting them to participate in the research. This method was supplemented by invitation by health visitors and through researchers attending local community groups. If an individual declined to participate, a second matched control was substituted and so on.

Research governance approval (including multicentre research ethics committee ethical review) was obtained with secondary approval from primary care trusts and local research ethics committees in each location where health visitors worked. Gypsies and Travellers were involved in developing and conducting this study, and in the interpretation of results.

The primary measure was the EQ‐5D, 16 a brief, generic health status measure (sometimes described as a health‐related quality‐of‐life measure). It defines health in terms of five dimensions, (mobility, self‐care, usual activity, pain or discomfort, anxiety or depression) with each rated at one of three levels, (no problem, some problem, extreme problem). Each possible combination of levels from each dimension yields a total of 243 health states, which are scored on a tariff derived from a general population valuation study. 17 This scale is standardised from 0 (representing death) to 1 (perfect health), although some states are rated as “worse than death” (ie, less than 0). The EQ‐5D also includes a Visual Analogue Scale scored from 0 (worst imaginable health state) and 100 (best imaginable health state). As a descriptive measure of health, the EQ‐5D has been used in national health surveys in England, from which age/sex norms have been established for the general population, 18 and comparative data are also available for different population subgroups. 19 It is a multi‐attribute health utility measure, allowing the calculation of quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) as a standard metric across different groups.

Secondary outcomes included the two census questions on limiting long‐term illness and general health, and questions on health symptoms and illnesses. For three of these, standardised measures were used, as follows: respiratory symptoms (Medical Research Council Respiratory Symptom Questionnaire), 20 12 questions with binary (yes/no) responses, and algorithms for chronic cough, chronic sputum, bronchitis and asthma; chest pain (Rose Angina scale) 21 defines possible angina according to standard criteria the site of pain or discomfort includes either the sternum (any level) or the left anterior chest and the left arm; it is provoked by either hurrying or walking uphill or walking on the level; making the subject either stop or slacken pace, unless nitrates are taken; disappearing within 10 min from the time the subject stands still; stroke, 22 a four‐item measure with binary (yes/no) responses.

Data analytical methods

Frequency distributions were obtained for all categorical data, and means and standard deviations or medians and interquartile ranges were calculated for continuous data. Statistical comparisons between groups were conducted using non‐parametric tests such as χ 2 and Wilcoxon matched pairs or McNemar's test for the age–sex‐matched data variables. Both unmatched and matched pairs t tests were used as appropriate.

Recruitment

In all, 293 Gypsies and Travellers were recruited across the five locations, of which 260 were age and sex matched with a comparator. Quotas were met for ethnic group (English and Irish), sex and accommodation site, with the exception of a shortfall of three housed Travellers. Table 1 ​ 1 shows the numbers of Gypsies and Travellers recruited by sex, ethnicity, accommodation and location, by quota required and by travelling pattern plus numbers of comparators by ethnicity and location.

Demographic profile

The demographic profile of the 260 age–sex‐matched Gypsies and Travellers did not differ significantly from the full sample recruited of 293. Although comparators were recruited to match existing Gypsy or Traveller participants with respect to sex and age (within 3 years) in the final sample, the Gypsies or Travellers were approximately 4 months younger. For both groups, 88 men and 172 women were interviewed. Table 2 ​ 2 presents sociodemographic data for all respondents.

There was a striking educational inequality between the two groups. Fewer Gypsies and Travellers had attended school, either at all, or on a regular basis, or through any form of further education. Only 44% received regular formal education after primary school, compared with 85% of comparators. The average age of leaving school was 12.6 years for Gypsies and Travellers and 16.4 years for comparators.

Significantly more Gypsies and Travellers were current smokers than the age–sex‐matched counterparts, with the proportion of smokers varying by age.

Significantly more Gypsies and Travellers were the main carer for a dependent relative with a chronic illness or disability, and there was a particularly marked difference in the proportions of Gypsies and Travellers and comparators caring for someone aged between 17 and 64 years (9.6% vs 2.3%).

Gypsies and Travellers reported having significantly more children than comparators, irrespective of whether mothers or fathers of the children were interviewed.

General health

Gypsies and Travellers reported poorer health status over the last year than their age–sex matched‐comparators (z = –4.77, p<0.001) (table 3 ​ 3). ). Overall, Gypsies and Travellers were significantly more likely to have a long‐term illness, health problem or disability, which limits their daily activities or work (χ 2  = 6.25, p = 0.009), compared with their age–sex matched comparators (table 3 ​ 3). ). The difference in proportions was 11% (95% CI 3, 19%). The Gypsies and Travellers had a slightly higher prevalence of accidents in the previous 6 months (that had caused them to see a doctor or go to hospital), but absolute numbers were small and differences were not significant.

p Values from McNemar's test, except *paired t test and †Wilcoxon matched pairs test. The EuroQol‐5D Visual Analogue Scale (EQ‐5D VAS) is scored from 0 (poor) to 100 (good health). The EQ‐5D is scored from −0.6 to 1 (good health).

In terms of their health on the day of completion of the questionnaire, Gypsies and Travellers had more problems with mobility, self‐care, usual activities, pain or discomfort, and anxiety or depression as assessed using the EQ‐5D than their age–sex‐matched comparators.

Gypsies and Travellers reported statistically significant worse health status than their age–sex‐matched comparators. Mean scores in the overall tariff for the EQ‐5D were 0.75 for Gypsies and Travellers (range –0.35 to +1) and 0.87 (range –0.09 to +1) for the comparators, a mean difference of 0.12 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.16; t = 4.93, p<0.001).

There were also significant differences between Travellers and comparators in the five separate components of the EQ‐5D, and the Visual Analogue Scale where the Gypsies and Travellers had significantly lower scores than the control group, a difference of 8.8 (95% CI 5.1 to 12.5).

Specific illnesses or problems

Given a list of specific illnesses or problems and a set of validated condition‐specific questions, both groups were asked which of these limited their daily activities or work. For most conditions, the prevalence was significantly higher for Gypsies and Travellers compared with their age–sex‐matched comparators (table 3 ​ 3). ). Exceptions were diabetes, stroke and cancer, where rates were low and there were no observed differences.

Maternal health

All analyses of maternal health examined the rates only in the two groups with children: 150 Gypsies and Travellers and 141 comparators, although in these groups, the Gypsy and Traveller mothers had more pregnancies and deliveries. There was no significant difference between the number of Gypsy and Traveller women, and comparison women reporting a number of problems with pregnancy or childbirth, such as morning sickness, preterm birth, breech presentation or post‐natal depression. However, significantly more Gypsies and Travellers experienced one or more miscarriages: 43 (29%) Gypsy and Traveller women compared with 18 (16%), of the comparison group with children (χ 2  = 11.09, p<0.001). Conversely, hypertension was less commonly reported by the Gypsy and Traveller women—2 (1%) compared with 11(8%) of comparators (Fisher exact p = 0.007).

Premature death of offspring

All the women in the two matched samples were asked the question “Are all your children still living?” as a woman without children might have lost a child. Of 172 women in each group, 23 Gypsy and Traveller women (6.2%) answered in the negative (excluding miscarriages) compared with none of the comparators (χ 2  = 16.9, p<0.001). Details on the cause of death were missing for seven women, but nine Gypsies and Travellers reported one or more stillbirths or deaths of a neonatal infant, with one woman experiencing multiple stillbirths.

Health differences between the ethnic subgroups of Gypsies and Travellers

There were no statistically significant differences in health between the ethnic subgroups of Gypsies and Travellers (Irish Travellers compared with English, Scottish or Welsh Gypsies), over a range of symptoms (depression, angina, chronic cough, chronic sputum, bronchitis and asthma), health status in the last year or long‐term illness. There were no differences between the Irish Travellers and the Gypsies for four of the five components of the EQ‐5D with the exception of the item on anxiety/depression, where 25% and 18% of Irish and the others, respectively, were moderately anxious/depressed, and 12% and 5% were extremely anxious/depressed (χ 2  = 7.27, df = 2, p = 0.026).

Health differences between Gypsies and Travellers in different accommodation types

Gypsies and Travellers with long‐term illness (n = 101/242; 42%) are more likely to be living in a trailer on a council site (54%) or in a house (45%) than on a private site (39%) or on empty land (30%; χ 2  = 9.14, p = 0.03). The same pattern is found for the EQ‐5D tariff scores, with those on private sites or empty land reporting better health status (F = 4.33, p = 0.005). Other physical health problems did not differ significantly by accommodation.

Travelling patterns showed an even stronger relationship with health, with those who rarely travelled (n = 125/256; 49%) having the worst health status, in terms of health in past year (χ 2  = 34.57, p<0.001), long term illness (χ 2  = 15.04, p = 0.001), chronic cough (χ 2  = 8.34, p = 0.02), EQ‐5D tariff (F = 13.09, p<0.001) and Visual Analogue Scale scores (F = 6.76, p<0.001).

Results indicate that this sample of Gypsies and Travellers had significantly poorer health status and more self‐reported symptoms of ill health than other UK‐resident, English speaking ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged white UK residents. On the standardised measure EQ‐5D, the health status of these Gypsies and Travellers is worse than that of their age–sex matched comparators. Self‐reported chest pain, respiratory problems and arthritis were also more prevalent in the Traveller group.

In the Gypsy Traveller group, we found a relationship between health, accommodation type and travelling pattern. However, it is not possible from these data to determine whether accommodation and travelling patterns have an effect on health or vice versa. Those with poorer health status may choose or be constrained to live in a house or travel rarely. On the other hand, living in a house or on a council site, and travelling rarely, may have a negative effect on health. With the exception of the question on depression and anxiety in EQ‐5D, we found no difference in the health of Gypsies compared with Irish Travellers. It is beyond the scope of this paper to consider health status variance in the Gypsies and Travellers' group further, and we have not reported subgroup analyses or used multivariate analytical methods to explore sources of variance across the total sample. These results will be reported in a further paper.

The scale of health inequality between the study population and the UK general population is even larger. In the 2001 census, the proportion of the population overall (all ages) reporting limiting long‐term illness is 18.2% compared with 41.9% in the Gypsies and Travellers' group in our survey. Compared with other local and national data, bronchitis, asthma and angina were much more prevalent. For example, nearly five times as many Gypsies and Travellers reported symptoms of chronic bronchitis than a general population in Sheffield, 22 and over twice as many reported asthma‐like symptoms or symptoms of angina. The aspects of health that show the most marked inequality are self‐reported anxiety, respiratory problems including asthma and bronchitis, and chest pain.

The scale of the difference of 0.12 in average index values on the EQ‐5D may be more tangible when translated into differences in QALYs between the two groups by multiplying their life expectancy by the index value. Assuming that people in each group experienced the average index value of their group and that, on average, people lived up to 75 years, the comparison group would enjoy 62.25 QALYs in their lifetime, compared with 56.25 QALYs in the Gypsies and Travellers' group. This difference of nine QALYs is substantial, comparable with the difference between the highest and lowest social classes in the UK. (The quality‐adjusted life expectancy at birth of someone in social classes 1 and 2 is nearly 66 QALYs, but for someone in social classes 4 and 5, it is only about 57 QALYs.) 23 Furthermore, the magnitude of the difference would be even larger if account is taken of the lower life expectancy of Gypsies and Travellers. 11

The finding of a large health inequality in Gypsies and Travellers leaves open the question of whether these differences are attributable to the observed sociodemographical differences between the Gypsies and Travellers and the comparison sample, which was better educated, less likely to smoke, had fewer children and were less likely to be caring for a dependent relative. Multivariate analysis will explore this issue in a further paper.

Reported rates for major diseases of stroke, cancer and diabetes were found to be equally low in both groups. Although it is harder to detect low prevalence conditions with this sample size and premature death amongst Gypsies and Travellers could contribute to this finding, it is possible that there is a genuine lack of health inequality in these illnesses. Alternatively, as cancer and type II diabetes tend to be “silent” diseases until their later stages, they may have been under‐reported in the Gypsies and Travellers' group through ignorance of the diagnosis. 24 Similarly, although Gypsy and Traveller women had experienced more miscarriages and stillbirths, there was no excess of other reported complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The retrospective reporting of these complications may have influenced this.

These results must be interpreted in the light of the methodological limitations of this study. The first concerns the representativeness of the sample. In the absence of any data on the sociodemography of the total population and given the practical difficulties of access, it was not possible to obtain a probability sample. Instead, we recruited a quota sample, primarily through health visitors, potentially introducing bias. People in transit and staying for short periods in roadside encampments were harder to contact, and these were found to have better health than those who were housed or living in a trailer on a council site. However, even those who travelled quite often and were interviewed on the roadside had poorer health than the comparator group. Although we asked health visitors not to pre‐select on the basis of health problems, and repeated checks were made that they had tried not to do so, there may have been some unconscious bias, plus structural reasons why people available and willing to be interviewed could have poorer health, with the exception of those acutely ill. On the other hand, compared with those who live in or spend time in areas not served by specialist healthcare professionals, our sample probably had better access to healthcare provision and hence potentially better treatment. This suggests the opposite bias, although the nomadic nature of our sample means that many would have lived in areas that are less well‐served. In any case, alternative procedures for gaining access to the study population would, in our judgement, have created even more problems with representativeness.

What is already known?

  • Descriptive studies and practitioner accounts suggest excess health problems in Gypsy and Traveller communities, with an emphasis on child health, high infant mortality and maternal death rates, low birth weight, low immunisation uptake and high child‐accident rates.
  • Although poorer health has been linked to socioeconomic disadvantage and ethnic minority group status, there is a lack of research evidence on the health status of adult Gypsies and Travellers in England.

Another limitation is that it was not feasible to assess accurately the socioeconomic status of the population. This was both a practical and a conceptual difficulty. Asking these sensitive and culturally inappropriate questions would have significantly reduced cooperation with the health interview. In addition, this community has its own economic subsystem to some extent, which makes such assessment conceptually questionable. We do not make the assumption that Gypsies and Travellers (or the other ethnic minorities) were economically impoverished, although we included comparators from economically disadvantaged areas to make planned comparisons between subgroups (not reported in this paper). Although we cannot therefore estimate how socioeconomically comparable the groups were, the inclusion of an economically disadvantaged subgroup provides the most rigorous test of the null hypothesis.

Because we used self‐report measures, there is a risk that the findings of excess prevalence of health problems in the Gypsies and Travellers was influenced by differential over‐reporting in that group compared with the comparison group. The qualitative study conducted and reported in parallel with this survey, 24 throws light on this. Here, widespread cultural attitudes of stoicism and minimisation of health problems, while not quantitatively assessed, do imply that over‐reporting is not the most likely explanation. For example, in some conditions, cultural attitudes are likely to lead to late diagnosis and avoidance of any knowledge of the diagnosis, favouring under‐reporting. On balance, for policy purposes, we believe that the results do not overestimate health difficulties for the population as a whole.

What this study adds?

  • Gypsies and Travellers report poorer health on standardised measures than comparable groups of residents from socially deprived inner city areas, other ethnic minorities and rural residents.
  • Poorer health status was reported in relation to long‐term illness, health problems that limit daily activities or work, health‐related quality of life, chest pain, respiratory problems, arthritis, miscarriage and premature death of offspring.

With the exception of some conditions such as stroke, where the baseline frequency was low in both populations, health inequalities were reported for a wide range of mental and physical heath problems. The findings confirm the impression from practice‐based evidence on poorer health in Gypsies and Travellers' populations, as summarised by Doyal et al . 1 Our findings indicate marked health inequalities on standardised measures between the Gypsy and Traveller population in England and their non‐Gypsy counterparts, even when compared with other socially deprived or excluded groups and with other ethnic minorities.

Policy Implications

  • We expect improvements in the policy response to the needs of this neglected minority in the light of these findings. Those responsible for public health policy and planning cannot assume that the health needs of Gypsies and Travellers are met by existing policy in relation to other ethnic minorities and socially disadvantaged groups.
  • Strong ethnic identity, and coherent cultural beliefs and attitudes, underpin health‐related behaviour in this group, and health experiences need to be understood in this context, alongside the specific effect of the social and economic hardship, and social exclusion.
  • Health data are important in monitoring health and evaluating the effects of health interventions, and Gypsies and Travellers should be included in routine ethnic monitoring.
  • The provision of effective healthcare and improvement of poor health in Gypsies and Travellers requires multi‐agency awareness and joint working to discuss the negative effects both of adverse social experiences and attitudinal barriers to health.

Acknowledgements

We should thank the following people: Gypsy and Traveller participants and all those Gypsies and Travellers attending the feedback forums who freely gave their time and support to this study; Ann Bagehot, Secretary of The Gypsy Council, and Gypsy Travellers Richard O'Neill, Mally Dow, Mary Lee and Len Smith, advisory group members; Tommy Doherty and Josie Lee, two Travellers who made significant contributions to this work, but who sadly died before the study was completed; the late Charles Smith, Chair of The Gypsy Council; Health Visitors Lynne Hartwell, Sarah Rhodes, Jackie Mosley, Teresa Murray, Rachael Wilson and Val Dumbleton, advisory group members and those who arranged access to Gypsy Travellers; Patricia Anderson, Jackie Gleeson, Becky Taylor, Rosemary Hasler who conducted the health status interviews; Professor Paul Dolan for specialist advice on the EQ‐5D and Dr Nick Payne for specialist advice when planning the quantitative study.

Abbreviations

EQ‐5D - EuroQol‐5 dimensions

QALYs - quality‐adjusted life years

i Health visitors work closely with family doctors (general practitioners) in England. They are community nurses trained in child development and social aspects of health and disease, who are notified of all mothers who have given birth in their area. They typically visit the family at home one month after childbirth to assess their health and social‐care needs. They are the only community practitioners who routinely visit homes and focus on ill health prevention for all families.

Funding: Funding was received from the Department of Health. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Health.

Competing interests: None.

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Vaccination uptake among Traveller communities significantly lower than in general population

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Traveller communities have significantly lower uptake of vaccinations compared to the general population, suggesting that more work needs to be done to promote understanding and appreciation of the benefits of vaccination among this population, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge.

Vaccinations are incredibly important to help protect children from potentially serious diseases, and we need to work with the Traveller communities to promote better understanding and appreciation of the long-term benefits Kathryn Dixon

In a study published today in the Journal of Public Health, researchers from the Primary Care Unit at Cambridge examined records at a General Practice in the East of England to compare uptake of vaccination with the Traveller and non-Traveller communities. For the majority of vaccines – including the MMR, rotavirus and combined Tetanus, diphtheria, polio and pertussis vaccines – only around five out of ten eligible children in the Traveller community had completed the relevant vaccination schedule, compared to nine out of ten children in the non-Traveller community. Substantial health inequalities exist between the Traveller and general population, with the life expectancy of Travellers being 10-12 years lower than non-Traveller equivalents. Several studies have shown that there is lower vaccine uptake in Traveller children but this is the first study to present recent, accurate data in the UK. The findings show that this community is at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. Ireland, Scotland and Wales and pockets of England are implementing strategies to improve vaccination coverage in the general population, but there is no national strategy in place in England to target Traveller, Gypsy and Roma communities. The 2011 census recorded just under 58,000 Gypsies and Irish Travellers in England and Wales; however, the true number is more likely to be between 150,000 and 300,000, as many Travellers do not identify their ethnicity due to fear of discrimination. “There is clearly much work needed to improve uptake of vaccinations among the Traveller community,” says Kathryn Dixon, a student doctor at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge. “Vaccinations are incredibly important to help protect children from potentially serious diseases, and we need to work with the Traveller communities to promote better understanding and appreciation of the long-term benefits.” Literacy levels within the Traveller community can be low, meaning that information often spreads by word-of-mouth, according to the authors. This can lead to a rapid change in vaccine uptake if one person in the community hears something good or bad about vaccination from, for example, another Traveller site. It was estimated in 2006 that around one in ten Travellers live in the East of England. “There have been cases in the past of Travellers being refused healthcare by GPs, but the practice involved has made a particular effort to engage with the local Traveller communities,” explains Dr Tanya Blumenfeld, Senior Clinical Tutor at the University. “This could mean that vaccination rates elsewhere are even lower. We need to better understand the barriers that limit vaccination coverage and so help reduce the health inequalities that currently exist.” Reference Dixon, KC, Mullis, R, and Blumenfeld, T. Vaccine uptake in the Irish Travelling community: An audit of general practice records. Journal of Public Health; 19 Sept 206; DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdw088

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traveller life expectancy

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Life Expectancy

By Saloni Dattani, Lucas Rodés-Guirao, Hannah Ritchie, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser

Across the world, people are living longer.

In 1900, the average life expectancy of a newborn was 32 years. By 2021 this had more than doubled to 71 years.

But where, when, how, and why has this dramatic change occurred?

To understand it, we can look at data on life expectancy worldwide.

The large reduction in child mortality has played an important role in increasing life expectancy. But life expectancy has increased at all ages . Infants, children, adults, and the elderly are all less likely to die than in the past, and death is being delayed.

This remarkable shift results from advances in medicine, public health, and living standards. Along with it, many predictions of the ‘limit’ of life expectancy have been broken.

On this page, you will find global data and research on life expectancy and related measures of longevity: the probability of death at a given age, the sex gap in life expectancy, lifespan inequality within countries, and more.

Key Insights on Life Expectancy

Life expectancy has increased across the world.

In 2021, the global average life expectancy was just over 70 years. This is an astonishing fact – because just two hundred years ago, it was less than half.

This was the case for all world regions: in 1800, no region had a life expectancy higher than 40 years.

The average life expectancy has risen steadily and significantly across all regions. 1

This extraordinary rise is the result of a wide range of advances in health – in nutrition, clean water, sanitation, neonatal healthcare, antibiotics, vaccines, and other technologies and public health efforts – and improvements in living standards, economic growth , and poverty reduction.

In this article, we cover this in more detail:

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Twice as long – life expectancy around the world

Life expectancy has doubled over the last two centuries around the world. How has this happened?

What you should know about this data

  • Period life expectancy is a metric that summarizes death rates across all age groups in one particular year.
  • For a given year, it represents the average lifespan for a hypothetical group of people, if they experienced the same age-specific death rates throughout their whole lives as the age-specific death rates seen in that particular year.
  • This data is compiled from three sources: the United Nations’ World Population Prospects (UN WPP), Zijdeman et al. (2015) 2 , and Riley (2005) 3 . For data points before 1950, we use Human Mortality Database data 4 combined with Zijdeman (2015). From 1950 onwards, we use UN WPP data. For pre-1950 data on world regions and the world as a whole, we use estimates from Riley (2005).
  • Riley (2005) 3 compiles life expectancy estimates from hundreds of historical sources and calculates the average of estimates that met an acceptable quality threshold, such as having estimates for entire nations or regions. Less historical data is available from the pre-health transition period in countries – this is especially the case for Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the former Soviet Union.
  • Zijdeman et al. (2015) 2 compiles data from various sources: the OECD.Stat database library, the United Nations World Population Prospects Database (UN WPP), the Human Mortality Database (HMD), the Montevideo-Oxford Latin American Economic History Database (MOxLAD), and Gapminder. In some cases, regional databases are used, such as Wrigley et al. (1997) 5 for life expectancy in England in the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries; the ONS for Australia; Kannisto et al. (1999) 6 for Finland; and data from the Estonian Interuniversity Population Research Centre for Estonia.
  • The UN WPP estimates life expectancy in various countries using data on mortality rates. In poorer countries, where death registration data is often lacking , the underlying data often comes from national household surveys, which are then used to estimate mortality rates and life expectancy.

There are wide differences in life expectancy around the world

In 2021, Nigeria's life expectancy was thirty years lower than Japan’s.

This striking fact reflects the wide differences in life expectancy between countries, which you can see on the map.

These wide differences are also reflected within countries. Countries with a lower average life expectancy also tend to have wider variations in lifespans . 7

  • This data is compiled from two sources: the Human Mortality Database (HMD) 4 and the United Nations World Population Prospects Database (UN WPP). For data points before 1950, we use HMD data. From 1950 onwards, we use UN WPP data.
  • The Human Mortality Database prioritizes uniformity in methods and is limited to specific countries and periods where high-quality mortality data is available nationally.
  • The UN WPP estimates life expectancy in various countries through various methods, using data on mortality rates. In poorer countries, where death registration data is often lacking, the underlying data often comes from national household surveys, which are then used to estimate mortality rates and life expectancy.

Life expectancy has increased at all ages

It’s a common misconception that life expectancy has only increased because of declines in child mortality.

This is part of what happened. Child mortality used to be high and contributed significantly to short lifespans in the past, and it has declined greatly over time.

But, especially in recent decades, child mortality declines have contributed much less to increasing life expectancy 8 , and large declines in mortality are seen across all age groups .

You can see this in the chart. It shows the total life expectancy for people who have already survived to older ages.

For example, 15-year-olds in 1816 in France had a life expectancy of 58 years. By 2021, the life expectancy of 15-year-olds increased to 83.

These gains are also seen at older ages: someone who was 65 years old in 1816 would have a life expectancy of 76 years. By 2021, their life expectancy would be 86 years.

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It’s not just about child mortality, life expectancy increased at all ages

It’s often argued that life expectancy across the world has only increased because child mortality has fallen. But this is untrue. The data shows that life expectancy has increased at all ages.

  • This data is compiled from three sources: the United Nations’ World Population Prospects (UN WPP), Zijdeman et al. (2015) 2 , and Riley (2005) 3 . For data points before 1950, we use the Human Mortality Database 4 data combined with Zijdeman (2015). From 1950 onwards, we use UN WPP data. For pre-1950 data on world regions and the world as a whole, we use estimates from Riley (2005).
  • Riley (2005) 3 compiles life expectancy estimates from hundreds of historical sources. It calculates the average of estimates that met an acceptable quality threshold, such as having estimates for entire nations or regions. Less historical data is available from the pre-health transition period in countries – especially for Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the former Soviet Union.

Women tend to live longer than men, but this gap has changed over time

Across the world, women tend to live longer than men .

But the gender gap varies between countries and is not constant over time, as you can see in the chart.

For example, the gap spiked in some countries during the World Wars.

But wars are only one of many reasons for the sex gap in life expectancy, which arises from a range of causes at different ages. 9

The gap begins at birth: newborn boys have a higher death rate than newborn girls, as they’re more vulnerable to diseases. 10

It continues in youth, when boys have a higher death rate than girls, typically due to violence and accidents. It’s sustained at older ages when men have higher death rates than women from chronic health conditions, which are partly due to higher rates of smoking, alcohol, and drug use. 11

The chart shows how the sex gap in life expectancy widened gradually over the twentieth century, largely because of the rise in smoking, especially among men. 12 Since then, it has been narrowing again in many but not all countries. 13

Thumbnail for article on sex gap in life expectancy

Why do women live longer than men?

Women tend to live longer than men around the world – but the sex gap in life expectancy is not a constant.

Life expectancy has surpassed predictions again and again

The chart shows which country had the highest recorded female life expectancy in each year. It comes from a study by Jim Oeppen and James W Vaupel. 14

The first dot shows Sweden’s life expectancy of 46 in 1840, the highest of any country that year. Over time, the record was pushed higher and higher.

But is there a limit to life expectancy?

In 1928, an American statistician, Louis Dublin, used mortality data to predict the longest possible life expectancy that could be achieved. Life expectancy in the US was 57 years at the time, and his answer for the maximum was 64.8 years. 15 Because he lacked data from New Zealand, he was unaware that the limit had already been broken there.

The horizontal lines on the chart show many predictions of the maximum limit of life expectancy. As you can see, the predictions have been broken again and again.

Rather than slowing down, record life expectancy has risen steadily over time, by around one year every four years. By 2021, Hong Kong had the highest life expectancy of 88 years.

The authors, Oeppen and Vaupel, explain that improvements in life expectancy shouldn’t be thought of as the result of one-off breakthroughs but instead “a regular stream of continuing progress”.

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The rise of maximum life expectancy

Predictions of a maximum limit of life expectancy have been broken again and again.

  • The chart comes from a 2002 study by Jim Oeppen and James W Vaupel. 14
  • Records from recent years have been added to the chart.
  • An interactive version of this chart can be found online.

Record life expectancy over the last two centuries - The country with the highest female life expectancy in each year, since 1840. Study originally published by Oeppen and Vaupel 2002 and updated with recent data on Our World in Data.

Research & Writing

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Life expectancy increased in all countries of the world

More articles on life expectancy.

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“Life Expectancy” – What does this actually mean?

Esteban Ortiz-Ospina

Saloni Dattani and Lucas Rodés-Guirao

Thumbnail for article: how do the risks of death change as people age

How does the risk of death change as we age – and how has this changed over time?

Saloni Dattani

A thumbnail for the article explaining the difference between period and cohort measures.

Period versus cohort measures: what’s the difference?

It’s not just about child mortality, life expectancy improved at all ages.

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The Spanish flu: The global impact of the largest influenza pandemic in history

Featured image for the article on why life expectancy in the US is lower than in other rich countries. Scatter plot of life expectancy and health expenditure per capita, with each country between 1970 and 2018 represented as a line, the USA in red and other OECD countries in grey.

Why is life expectancy in the US lower than in other rich countries?

Interactive charts on life expectancy.

As you can see, the chart also shows that the rise has not been completely constant. Major events – the World Wars, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic , the HIV/AIDS epidemic , and the COVID-19 pandemic – have had a major impact on mortality rates and left a visible mark on life expectancy.

Zijdeman, Richard and Filipa Ribeira da Silva (2015). Life Expectancy at Birth (Total). http://hdl.handle.net/10622/LKYT53 , accessed via the Clio Infra website. Zijdeman, R. L., & de Silva, F. R. (2014). Life expectancy since 1820.

Riley, J. C. (2005). Estimates of regional and global life expectancy, 1800–2001. Population and Development Review, 31(3), 537–543.

Barbieri, M., Wilmoth, J. R., Shkolnikov, V. M., Glei, D., Jasilionis, D., Jdanov, D., Boe, C., Riffe, T., Grigoriev, P., & Winant, C. (2015). Data Resource Profile: The Human Mortality Database (HMD). International Journal of Epidemiology, 44(5), 1549–1556. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyv105

Wrigley E.A. et al. (1997) English population history from family reconstitution 1580-1837, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Kannisto, V., Nieminen, M. and O. Turpeinen (1999), “Finnish life tables since 1751,” Demographic Research, Vol. 1/1.

Aburto, J. M., Villavicencio, F., Basellini, U., Kjærgaard, S., & Vaupel, J. W. (2020). Dynamics of life expectancy and life span equality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(10), 5250–5259. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915884117 Liou, L., Joe, W., Kumar, A., & Subramanian, S. V. (2020). Inequalities in life expectancy: An analysis of 201 countries, 1950–2015. Social Science & Medicine, 253, 112964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112964

Permanyer, I., & Scholl, N. (2019). Global trends in lifespan inequality: 1950-2015. PLOS ONE, 14(5), e0215742. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215742

Vaupel, J. W., Zhang, Z., & Van Raalte, A. A. (2011). Life expectancy and disparity: An international comparison of life table data. BMJ Open, 1(1), e000128–e000128. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000128

Wilson, C. (2011). Understanding Global Demographic Convergence since 1950. Population and Development Review, 37(2), 375–388. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2011.00415.x

Aburto, J. M., Villavicencio, F., Basellini, U., Kjærgaard, S., & Vaupel, J. W. (2020). Dynamics of life expectancy and life span equality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(10), 5250–5259. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915884117

Zarulli, V., Kashnitsky, I., & Vaupel, J. W. (2021). Death rates at specific life stages mold the sex gap in life expectancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(20), e2010588118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2010588118

Vladimir Canudas-Romo, Nandita Saikia, & Nadia Diamond-Smith. (2016). The contribution of age-specific mortality towards male and female life expectancy differentials in India and selected States, 1970-2013. Asia-Pacific Population Journal, 30(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.18356/8ec0129d-en

Drevenstedt, G. L., Crimmins, E. M., Vasunilashorn, S., & Finch, C. E. (2008). The rise and fall of excess male infant mortality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(13), 5016–5021. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0800221105

Feraldi, A., & Zarulli, V. (2022). Patterns in age and cause of death contribution to the sex gap in life expectancy: A comparison among ten countries. Genus, 78(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41118-022-00171-9

Janssen, F. (2020). Changing contribution of smoking to the sex differences in life expectancy in Europe, 1950–2014. European Journal of Epidemiology, 35(9), 835–841. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-020-00602-x

Luy, M., & Wegner-Siegmundt, C. (2015). The impact of smoking on gender differences in life expectancy: More heterogeneous than often stated. The European Journal of Public Health, 25(4), 706–710. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cku211

Glei, D. A., & Horiuchi, S. (2007). The narrowing sex differential in life expectancy in high-income populations: Effects of differences in the age pattern of mortality. Population Studies, 61(2), 141–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324720701331433

Bergeron-Boucher, M.-P., Alvarez, J.-A., Kashnitsky, I., & Zarulli, V. (2022). Probability of males to outlive females: An international comparison from 1751 to 2020. BMJ Open, 12(8), e059964. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059964

Oeppen, J., & Vaupel, J. W. (2002). Broken Limits to Life Expectancy. Science, 296(5570), 1029–1031. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1069675

Dublin, L., Israel. (1928). Health and Wealth: A Survey of the Economics of World Health. Harper & Brothers.

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Traveller Health Statistics

The life expectancy for Traveller women in 1987 was 65.3 years, 11.9 years less than settled women.  In 2008, ten years on, there is little change, with Traveller women having a life expectancy of 70.1, 11.1 years less than women from the majority population.

The statistics pertaining to male Traveller life expectancy are very worrying, with an increase from the 1987 figure of 61.7 years, 9.9 less than the general population, to 61.7 years, a shocking 15.1 years less than men from within the majority community.   (All Ireland Traveller Health Study)

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Travellers and life expectancy figures

Sir, – John FitzGerald offers an excellent overview of the greatest good news story of modern times – that we enjoy longer, healthier lives (" Poor people die younger: we need to understand why ", Business Opinion, July 5th).

His description of the impact of poverty on the data is valuable, but in the Irish context perhaps warrants an addition.

The Travelling community here experience lives that are quite inconsistent with the rest of society, a pattern that merits more attention than it receives. Male Travellers die over 15 years earlier than their settled counterparts. A document covering the decade up to 2005 (Travellers’ Last Rights) found that only half lived beyond the age of 40, and described astonishing levels of suicide and road traffic accidents, especially among males. Various forms of high-risk behaviour, social isolation and poverty appear to contribute.

Remarkably, this 1 per cent of our population now has roughly the same life expectancy that the settled community had in the 1940s. – Yours, etc,

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Home > View All > Irish Traveller Health

Irish Traveller Health

  • Written on 30/08/2022
  • , Last updated 09/10/2022

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You are on shift in your emergency department in London. You ask your registrar, who has recently moved from Ireland, to review one of your patients. He notices that the family are members of the Irish Traveller Community. You have never heard of this group of people and decide to quiz your registrar.

Who are the Irish Travellers?

The Irish Travellers are an Irish ethnic minority group with a proud history and culture. They have a value system, language, customs, and traditions, that make them an identifiable group, both to themselves and others. Nomadism and family are the core features of their identity. Early and arranged marriage, large families and consanguinity are cultural norms.

But I wouldn’t meet them in the UK, right?

Irish travellers don’t just live in Ireland. Travel and nomadism have resulted in Irish Travellers settling in many parts of the world. It is estimated that there are 40,000 living in Ireland, 15,000 in The UK , 6000 in mainland Europe and 7000 in America.

The importance of family in the community means that they will often live in close proximity to each other and form small neighbourhoods made up almost exclusively of Irish Travellers. This can result in some hospitals in the UK seeing many Irish Traveller patients and being familiar with their customs, and some hospitals seeing very few and, therefore, not having the insight required to provide them with the best treatment.

How would I recognize them?

There are many ways to ask. It is important to ask in a sensitive, non-judgmental and open-ended manner.

Questions such as “ Is there anything we should know about your culture or background that would help us look after your child? ” or “ Are you a member of any cultural or ethnic groups? ” are useful.

Alternatively, it may come up during your routine social history and may be volunteered by the family. If you ask about consanguinity the family may explain their background, where a large proportion of marriages are consanguineous.

Why is it important that I recognize Irish Travellers?

It is important to recognize that a patient is a member of the Irish Travelling Community because your understanding of their background, healthcare needs and potential risk factors may greatly influence your decision-making. Let’s look a little closer at factors that may affect their healthcare:

Demographics

The population pyramid for the Traveller population is similar to that of developing countries, with a high number of young people and very few older people. The All Ireland Traveller Health Study (AITHS) in 2010 found that 42% of Travellers were under 15 years of age, compared with 21% of the general population. The same study found that only 3% of Travellers were aged 65 years and over compared with 13% of the general population. The study only identified 8 travellers on the island of Ireland that were over 85 years of age.

Consanguinity accounts for approximately 71% of marriages. This is a first cousin in 39% , first cousin once removed in 11% and second cousin in 21% .

Life expectancy is significantly lower for Travellers than for the general population. For Traveller women it is 70.1 years, 11.5 years less than the general population. The life expectancy for Traveller men is 61.7 years, 15.1 years less than the general population.

The infant mortality rate is 3.6 times higher than the general population (14.1 deaths per hundred thousand compared with 3.9 per hundred thousand). Indeed, Irish Travellers have been found to have the highest infant mortality rate in Europe.

Accommodation

In recent years more and more Travellers have given up their nomadic past and settled in houses or trailer parks. It is estimated that 73% of Travellers live in a house with 18.2% living in a mobile home or caravan. These mobile home parks, or halting sites as they are known in Ireland, can have very poor conditions with inconsistent access to clean water, electricity, flushing toilets and safe, clean areas for children to play.

Relationship with healthcare

Irish Travellers face many barriers to healthcare and discrimination on a daily basis. The AITHS study found that the level of trust by Travellers in health professionals was only 41% , compared to 83% in the general population. Over 50% of Travellers had a concern about the quality of care they received when they engaged with services. Over 40% felt they were not treated with respect and dignity when accessing healthcare.

It is important to appreciate these barriers and make every effort to build a relationship and foster trust. This is particularly important when trying to obtain a family history. Travellers can be very private in relation to the health of their family and often will not disclose sensitive details in front of other family members. It is prudent to ask these sensitive questions alone, with the parents, and not in front of other relatives.

Many Travellers have a negative experience of the education system, with bullying and discrimination being widespread. Segregated education, with Traveller-only classes, has only been abandoned within the last 15-20 years. These factors have resulted in high drop-out rates in primary and secondary education.

Only 13% of Travellers complete secondary education, compared with 92% of the general population. Less than 1% of Travellers go on to tertiary level education. The 2016 Census only identified 167 Irish Travellers with a tertiary level qualification. Figures from the 2022 census are not yet available but it is likely they are much higher. Various support programs have greatly increased the accessibility of higher-level qualifications in recent years.

Literacy results can be very variable, with one large study estimating that 28.8% had difficulty reading and 50% had difficulty reading medication instructions.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding rates are generally quite low. Only 2.2% of Traveller women initiate breastfeeding, compared with approximately 50% in the general population. There are many factors responsible for this.

Formula feeding has historically been thought of as a status symbol within the Travelling Community and considered to be something that better-off women did. This fostered a stigma toward breastfeeding, resulting in generations of women who did not have the social support to breastfeed available because no one in their extended family may have breastfed. Breastfeeding mothers may also face negative reactions within their community if they feed in public.

The high incidence of galactosaemia in Ireland means newborns of Traveller parents are initially given soy milk while awaiting a screening test. This practice has helped create an image of breastfeeding as being “dangerous” within the community. It also makes things difficult for women hoping to establish breastfeeding. These factors may result in healthcare professionals being less inclined to discuss breastfeeding as there is an assumption that they will not want to breastfeed. This makes seeking support even more difficult.

Mental health and suicide

Mental health issues are three times higher in Travellers than in the general population. Suicide is six times more common in Travellers than in the general population and accounts for 11% of all Traveller deaths.

Positive aspects of culture

While it is important to be cognizant of the difficulties experienced by Irish Travellers we must also be aware of the positive aspects of their culture. Irish Travellers are immensely proud of their heritage. They have strong family bonds and support systems.

Most Irish Travellers are practising Catholics with the church providing a strong support structure. In a recent study, 89.4% of Irish Travellers rated religion as either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ in their lives.

There are also strong advocates within the Irish Travelling Community. The Pavee Point Organisation has long been a source of support and guidance for Travellers and has fought tirelessly for their rights, most notably by helping to achieve ethnic minority status for Irish Travellers in 2017.

What are the specific healthcare needs of their children?

It is important to remember that most Traveller children are healthy. Ninety per cent of Traveller children have no chronic health issue. Asthma accounts for 70% of those that do a have one. However, there is a range of genetic and metabolic disorders that are significantly more common in the Traveller population.

A study by Lynch et al in 2017 catalogued these disorders for the first time. Most clinicians working in Ireland are familiar with the increased incidence of these disorders in the community. The aim of the paper was to create a resource for clinicians who are less familiar and to ease forming a differential diagnosis and aid targeted testing. They identified 104 disorders, 90 of which are autosomal recessive. The 3 most common disorders and their carrier frequency are listed below.

traveller life expectancy

The catalogue of disorders is available through the publication below:

Lynch SA, Crushell E, Lambert DM , et al Catalogue of inherited disorders found among the Irish Traveller population Journal of Medical Genetics   2018;55 : 233-239.

It is unlikely you will remember all of these conditions! Many of these disorders will present in the neonatal period. If you have a sick or septic baby from an Irish Traveller background you must consider metabolic and other rare diseases and investigate and manage appropriately.

traveller life expectancy

These disorders are often incredibly rare, and challenging to diagnose and manage unless you are working in a centre familiar with them. Thankfully, help is at hand, an expert advisory network on the rare conditions affecting Irish Travellers is available on Orphanet .

How can I help them?

By having an understanding of the conditions that more commonly affect Irish Travellers you will be better prepared to diagnose and treat them. In particular, you should have a low threshold to perform metabolic investigations in an unwell neonate. If they have a rare disorder and you are seeing them in ED with an acute issue have a very low threshold to speak to their specialist directly.

Awareness of their culture and social situations will allow you to provide more empathetic, directed care and to put yourself in their shoes. Awareness of their home environment will help with discharge planning, particularly in children with complex needs .

A sensitive approach to literacy difficulties may help when providing patient information leaflets, discharge paperwork, prescriptions or when seeking consent.

Are there any specific differences in the provision of their healthcare in Ireland?

Paediatricians in Ireland will generally be familiar with many of the rare conditions above. Indeed, it is not unusual for a General Paediatrician to look after the only family in the country with a particular condition. The National Centre for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (NCIMD) and The National Clinical Genetics Services are located in Dublin and are the tertiary centres for the country. They look after many conditions that are rarely seen elsewhere in the world and would be a fantastic place for an international fellowship!

The newborn screening system in Ireland screens all newborns for 8 (relatively) common disorders, see below.

traveller life expectancy

A major difference to other newborn screening programs is that there is targeted screening of children born to Irish Travellers for galactosaemia . These children are commenced on soy formula at birth until a Beutler Test can be performed to rapidly rule out galactosaemia. If negative, they can then commence normal infant formula .

The development of a genetic panel and carrier testing for Irish Travellers has been discussed for some time. Although technically feasible, there are complex issues surrounding this which have limited its progression to date. Irish Travellers can be very confidential about their family history and genetics, any future work in this area needs to be addressed sensitively.

You thank your registrar for their thorough and intriguing discussion on Irish Travellers and you resolve to use your new cultural awareness to improve your care of both Irish Travellers and other ethnic minorities in the future.

All Ireland Travel Health Study 2010

Education and Travellers [Internet]. [cited 2022 May 30]. Available from: https://www.paveepoint.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Factsheets-Pavee-Point-EDUCATION.pdf

Lynch SA, Crushell E, Lambert DM, Byrne N, Gorman K, King MD, et al. Catalogue of inherited disorders found among the Irish Traveller population. J Med Genet [Internet]. 2018 Apr 1 [cited 2022 May 30];55(4):233–9.

McGorrian C, Frazer K, Daly L, Moore RG, Turner J, Sweeney MR, et al. The health care experiences of Travellers compared to the general population: The All-Ireland Traveller Health Study. J Heal Serv Res Policy [Internet]. 2012 Jul 1 [cited 2022 May 20];17(3):173–80.

O’Reilly P, Jenkinson A, Martin T, Stone G, Power B, Murphy A. G294(P) Health and disease in children of the “ irish traveller” community. Arch Dis Child [Internet]. 2018 Mar 1 [cited 2022 May 20];103(Suppl 1):A120–A120.

Robinson L. BREASTFEEDING IN THE GYPSY, ROMA AND TRAVELLER COMMUNITY [Internet]. [cited 2022 May 30]. Available from: https://abm.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/Mag12-featured.pdf

Peter Tormey is an Irish Paediatric Emergency Medicine trainee with a keen interest in quality improvement and medical education. In his spare time he likes to cycle, drink coffee and swim in the sea

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All-Ireland Traveller Health Study

From Department of Health  

Published on 11 March 2010

Last updated on 26 October 2020

Pdf

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Summary of Findings

Alongside the executive summary above, this report is further broken into 3 technical reports and an appendix, which are available below. Because of their size, Technical Reports 2 and 3 are available in low-resolution format and are also broken into 4-part higher resolution versions.

Technical Report 1

Technical Report 1 features the findings of the Census of Traveller Population and a Quantitative Study of Health Status and Health Utilisation.

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Technical Report 1: Health Survey Findings

Technical Report 2

Technical Report 2 reports on Demography and Vital Statistics including mortality and life expectancy data, an initial report of the Birth Cohort Study and a report on Travellers in Institutions. The Birth Cohort Study was a 1 year follow-up of all Traveller babies born on the island of Ireland between 14th October 2008 and 13th October 2009, with data collection up to 13th October 2010. Part D of Technical Report 2 is the Birth Cohort Study Follow Up and was published in September 2011.

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Technical Report 2

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Demography and Vital Statistics

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - The Birth Cohort Study

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Travellers in Institutions

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Bibliography

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - The Birth Cohort Study Follow Up

Technical Report 3

Technical Report 3 reports on Consultative Studies including qualitative studies based on focus groups and semi-structured interviews with Travellers and key discussants, and a survey of Health Service Providers.

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Technical Report 3

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Qualitative Studies

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Health Service Provider Study

All Ireland Traveller Health Study: Our Geels - Discussion and Recommendations

Appendix (Questionnaires)

Preamble Health Service Providers Questionnaire for Ireland and Northern Ireland

‘OURGEELS’ AITHS QUESTIONNAIRE 2008

‘OUR GEELS’: FINAL AITHS QUESTIONNAIRE NORTHERN IRELAND

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Life Expectancy in the U.S. Dropped for the Second Year in a Row in 2021

For immediate release: august 31, 2022.

Contact: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, Office of Communication (301) 458-4800 E-mail: [email protected]

Life expectancy at birth in the United States declined nearly a year from 2020 to 2021, according to new provisional data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). That decline – 77.0 to 76.1 years – took U.S. life expectancy at birth to its lowest level since 1996. The 0.9 year drop in life expectancy in 2021, along with a 1.8 year drop in 2020, was the biggest two-year decline in life expectancy since 1921-1923.

The data are featured in a new report, “ Provisional Life Expectancy Estimates for 2021. ” The report shows non-Hispanic American Indian-Alaskan Native people (AIAN) had the biggest drop in life expectancy in 2021 – 1.9 years. AIAN people had a life expectancy at birth of 65.2 years in 2021 – equal to the life expectancy of the total U.S. population in 1944. AIAN life expectancy has declined 6.6 years from 2019 to 2021.

Non-Hispanic white people in the United States had the second biggest decline in life expectancy in 2021 – one full year from 77.4 in 2020 to 76.4 in 2021. Non-Hispanic Black people had the third biggest decline, a 0.7 year drop from 71.5 years in 2020 to 70.8 in 2021. Life expectancy at birth in 2021 was the lowest for both groups since 1995. After a large (4.0 year) drop in life expectancy from 2019 to 2020, Hispanic people in the U.S. had a slight decline in 2021 of 0.2 years to 77.6 years. Life expectancy for non-Hispanic Asian people also dropped slightly in 2021 – 0.1 years – to 83.5 years, the highest life expectancy of any race/ethnic group included in this analysis.

Other findings documented in the report:

  • Life expectancy at birth for women in the United States dropped 0.8 years from 79.9 years in 2020 to 79.1 in 2021, while life expectancy for men dropped one full year, from 74.2 years in 2020 to 73.2 in 2021. The report shows the disparity in life expectancy between men and women grew in 2021 from 5.7 years in 2020 to 5.9 years in 2021. From 2000 to 2010, this disparity had narrowed to 4.8 years, but gradually increased from 2010 to 2019 and is now the largest gap since 1996.
  • The declines in life expectancy since 2019 are largely driven by the pandemic. COVID-19 deaths contributed to nearly three-fourths or 74% of the decline from 2019 to 2020 and 50% of the decline from 2020 to 2021. An estimated 16% of the decline in life expectancy from 2020 to 2021 can be attributed to increases in deaths from accidents/unintentional injuries. Drug overdose deaths account for nearly half of all unintentional injury deaths. The most recent data reported by NCHS showed more than 109,000 overdose deaths in the one-year period ending in March of 2022.
  • Other causes of death contributing to the decline in life expectancy from 2020 to 2021 include heart disease (4.1% of the decline), chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (3.0%), and suicide (2.1%). For men, the one-year decline in life expectancy was attributed primarily to mortality from COVID-19 (49.5% of the decline), unintentional injuries (19.1%), suicide (3.6%), chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (3.4%), and homicide (2.5%). For women, the 0.8 year decline in life expectancy was attributed mainly to mortality from COVID-19 (51.2% of the decline), unintentional injuries (14.8%), heart disease (5.7%), stroke (3.5%), and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (2.4%).
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How to Calculate Your Life Expectancy

Understanding how long you could live is key to successful retirement planning.

traveller life expectancy

Getty Images

A key part of retirement planning is managing longevity risk - the risk that you will outlive your money.

How would your retirement plans change if you knew you would live to 100? While no one has a crystal ball to see the future, there are tools available to help you make an educated guess regarding your life expectancy. And that knowledge could help you avoid running short of money in retirement.

“We are living longer, and that’s because of genetics and science,” says Avneet Kaur, chief financial officer and co-founder of wealth management firm Core Family Office in Los Angeles. She suggests that three-digit lifespans could soon become more common.

Certainly, the number of centenarians has been steadily increasing. The New England Centenarian Study out of Boston University calculates that 0.27% of the U.S. population was age 100 or older as of 2021, double the prevalence from 20 years earlier.

Even if you don’t expect to hit the 100-year mark, understanding longevity and calculating your life expectancy are important steps in preparing for a successful retirement.

Why Life Expectancy Matters

The most obvious reason to know your life expectancy is to more accurately estimate how much money to save for retirement . Funding a 10-year retirement looks much different than paying for 30 years out of the workforce.

It goes beyond that, though. Your longevity can also influence when you start Social Security , which accounts you save in and how you withdraw money later.

There is an added layer of importance for couples who need to plan for not just one, but two lifespans. That means not only ensuring resources are available to cover the needs of each partner until death, but that each person understands how their household’s retirement plan works.

“ Women should be more in charge of their finances ,” Kaur says. She has seen instances in which a woman will let her husband manage all the money, only to be left with debt and no assets once he dies. Knowing your life expectancy won’t be helpful if you're blocked out of financial planning decisions.

How to Determine How Long You’ll Live

There is no way to be 100% certain about your life expectancy but you can make a good guess.

“One common way to estimate life expectancy is by using actuarial life tables,” says Andrew Latham, certified financial planner and managing editor of the financial comparison website Supermoney. These tables use statistical data to estimate mortality.

Here are two to try:

  • Social Security Life Expectancy Calculator : Based on Social Security actuarial tables, this simple calculator estimates your lifespan based on your current age. Simply enter your sex and birthdate to see the average additional lifespan you can expect based upon your current age and retirement milestone ages. This calculator does not take into consideration factors such as your health or lifestyle.
  • Actuaries Longevity Illustrator : Developed by the American Academy of Actuaries and Society of Actuaries, this tool is designed to provide longevity probabilities for individuals and couples. It asks for a person’s gender, date of birth, expected retirement age, smoker status and general health status. The calculator assumes you will make it to your expected retirement age and then provides the probability of living to ages through 100. You can print the results and take them to your financial planner.

“This really can be a wake-up call, in a positive way, for people to think about their retirement choices,” says Linda K. Stone, senior pension fellow with the American Academy of Actuaries. If someone knows they have a 25% chance of reaching age 95 or a 15% probability of living to 100, they may rethink how they approach saving and spending decisions.

Mistakes to Avoid When Calculating Life Expectancy

Don’t make the retirement mistake of thinking that figures for average life expectancy will accurately reflect your individual lifespan.

“The most common mistake when calculating life expectancy is underestimating how long you will live,” Latham says. “Many people base their calculations on average life expectancies, but remember, these are just averages.”

Those averages may be skewed by irregular events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. They also don’t take into account individual factors like health and family history.

In 2021, the average life expectancy at birth was 79.1 for women and 73.2 for men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, if a man is healthy enough to reach age 70 this year, the Social Security actuarial tables indicate he could live an average of 15.4 years more. That’s more than a decade longer than the CDC figure suggests.

For this reason, it’s crucial to estimate longevity based on your individual factors rather than relying on more general averages.

Managing Longevity Risk

A key part of retirement planning is managing longevity risk – that is, the risk that you will outlive your money. Doing so can involve more than simply putting extra cash into a retirement account.

“People need to reframe how they plan for retirement,” says Evan Potash, wealth management advisor with TIAA. “Rather than worrying about nest eggs, they need to ask: How should I plan for savings that will last the rest of my life?”

The answer, he says, is to look for sources of lifetime income . These provide a steady stream of cash regardless of how long you live. Social Security is one example and a primary source of income for many retirees.

Traditional pensions are also a source of guaranteed income in retirement, but relatively few workers qualify for these benefits nowadays. An alternative may be to purchase an annuity – some products promise not only lifetime benefits for you but the possibility of benefits for your heirs as well.

“You want to start by securing yourself and your beneficiaries,” Kaur says.

She suggests her clients begin with permanent life insurance or a product such as a fixed annuity to safeguard funds for the future. Unlike 401(k) plans and IRAs, these accounts are insulated from market downturns. “We want to keep you away from the market when it’s a foundational product,” she says.

Regardless of the specific financial products and accounts you use, it’s always best to plan for a longer life rather than a shorter one. Having money left when you die is preferable to running short and needing to make drastic lifestyle changes during your final years.

How to Cut Costs in Retirement

Rodney Brooks June 26, 2023

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Tags: retirement , savings , personal finance , longevity , aging , money

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Iowa’s life expectancy sees increase according to Univ. of Iowa study

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - Iowa’s life expectancy is now in the 80s according to a University of Iowa study. It’s one part of a “megatrend” regarding age in the state.

The report also finds Iowa now has the highest percentage of residents over 80. By 2030 those 65 and older could outnumber people 18 and younger.

“This is the first generation in history where we’ll just see a lot of folks reach the age of 100,” Brian Kaskie, UI professor of health policy and researcher on the project said.

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”Employers now are being challenged to find replacements for people who are retiring and leaving the workforce,” Kaskie said. “We just don’t have as many younger people around as we used to.”

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Social Security

Actuarial life table.

A period life table is based on the mortality experience of a population during a relatively short period of time. Here we present the 2020 period life table for the Social Security area population , as used in the 2023 Trustees Report (TR). For this table, the period life expectancy at a given age is the average remaining number of years expected prior to death for a person at that exact age, born on January 1, using the mortality rates for 2020 over the course of his or her remaining life.

This life table is available for certain other years.

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I flew to Japan with my baby. Here's the travel advice that helped me survive the trip

Emily Siner

traveller life expectancy

Journalist Emily Siner went on a trip to Japan with her 8-month-old son and knew it would be daunting. What should she pack? What should she expect? Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption

Journalist Emily Siner went on a trip to Japan with her 8-month-old son and knew it would be daunting. What should she pack? What should she expect?

Last winter, my husband and I made the ambitious decision to fly 13 hours with our 8 month old for a two-week vacation around Japan.

We knew flying with a baby would be daunting. What if he has a meltdown on the airplane? What gear do we bring? How will he adjust to the 15-hour time change? And ... will we actually get to enjoy ourselves?

traveller life expectancy

Siner's husband and their 8-month-old son on the 13-hour flight to Tokyo. Siner says their baby loved watching other passengers on the plane. Emily Siner hide caption

Siner's husband and their 8-month-old son on the 13-hour flight to Tokyo. Siner says their baby loved watching other passengers on the plane.

Preethi Harbuck, author of the travel blog Local Passport Family and a mom of six agrees that taking a big trip with young children — that is, babies and toddlers under age 2 — isn't easy. But with the right preparation and mindset, it can also be fun for everyone. You may even be able to "connect with people and places in a new way that [you] wouldn't have been able to experience without kids," she says.

To help set parents up for success, Harbuck and Christine Sarkis, editor-in-chief of the travel website Family Vacationist , share tips on what to pack, how to overcome travel challenges and set realistic expectations.

Take a practice trip

traveller life expectancy

Before you pack your passports for a big international trip, try a shorter trip that's closer to home so you can work out the kinks of traveling with a young child. Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption

Before you pack your passports for a big international trip, try a shorter trip that's closer to home so you can work out the kinks of traveling with a young child.

The first step to preparing for a big trip is to take a smaller one, like an overnight trip somewhere close by. It can give you a sense of what it's like to travel with your little one and grow your confidence, says Harbuck. "Find what feels comfortable and keep practicing. It will become easier."

Luckily, my husband and I had a chance to take some shorter trips with our baby before going to Japan. When our baby was three months old, we stayed overnight at a cabin about a half hour away by car. A month later, we took an 8-hour road trip to Chicago to see family.

How to take better (and more distinctive) photos on vacation

How to take better (and more distinctive) photos on vacation

From these outings. I learned how important it was to pack a sound machine, which helps my baby fall asleep, and a portable diaper changing pad. I also learned that I didn't need to bring too many toys. My kid loved watching other people talk, walk and interact with each other.

So when we went to Japan, I put those lessons to use. I packed the essentials, left half the toys behind and made sure to sit in an aisle seat on the plane so that my baby, who sat on my lap, could get a good view of the passengers and stay entertained.

Make plans your future self will thank you for

When traveling with a baby or a toddler, everything becomes a little more complicated. There's a lot more to pack (more on that later) and a lot more considerations to make (like naps and kid-friendly meals, perhaps). So the key is to prioritize decisions that will simplify travel, says Sarkis. "Anything you can do to smooth your way [will make you] so happy with yourself."

Here are some planning decisions that our experts recommend.

Put your kid in their own plane seat. Many airlines allow kids under 2 to fly in your lap for a very low rate, sometimes even for free. While that can make travel more budget friendly, Harbuck says it's worth buying your child their own seat. Placing them in a car seat is the safest place for them to sit on an airplane, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Plus, having your own seats can make long flights more comfortable for the both of you.

Consider their developmental stage. Keep in mind that your child's needs will change as they age. For example, if your kid is walking, it may be harder to "keep them busy and happy" on the airplane, says Sarkis. So you might enjoy your trip more if you choose a destination that's closer to home. Anticipate what stage they'll be in at the time of travel and plan accordingly.

Add more adults to the trip. My husband and I traveled with friends for part of our trip around Japan. They helped us carry luggage and held our baby while we ate. "If you have someone to trade off with, that's really helpful," says Sarkis.

7 tips to help you keep the peace when traveling with a group

7 tips to help you keep the peace when traveling with a group

Book a vacation rental. If you are traveling with a little one who still naps in the middle of the day or has an early bedtime, you may not want to book a single hotel room. Sarkis says she made that mistake on a trip once and had to bring pillows into the bathtub just to have a place to read after her kids went to bed. "Whereas in a vacation rental I could have sat on a couch."

Plan solo time. Carve out time for you and your travel partners to do things without the baby. On our trip to Japan, my husband and I decided we'd give each other as much time as we wanted in the guesthouse onsen , the heated communal bath, while the other watched our sleeping baby. Another night, we hired a babysitter so we could go out together and sing karaoke.

Pack well ... and lightly

It’s hard to travel light with a baby. So opt for the travel versions of strollers, cribs and car seats — they are often smaller and weigh less than the usual gear.

Credit: Becky Harlan/NPR

Portable cribs, high chairs, playpens and sleep canopies? There's no shortage of recommendations when it comes to choosing travel gear for your little one. But the No. 1 takeaway is to make sure "everything you're carrying is worth the stress of carrying it," says Sarkis.

Planning a trip? Here's how to pack like a pro

Planning a trip? Here's how to pack like a pro

Focus on the basic gear. At the minimum, your child will likely need a stroller or baby carrier to get around, a car seat for car trips and a safe place to sleep, like a portable crib. See if you can get travel versions of that gear, which are often lighter, smaller and easier to carry. Many airlines will let you check a stroller and a car seat for free, either before you go through security or at the gate. (If you do this, get some sort of carrying case to protect them.)

Cut down the big stuff ... There may be opportunities to leave some of that gear behind, says Sarkis. Check whether you can rent a stroller at your destination. Your accommodation may offer baby cribs. And some ridesharing apps may have vehicles outfitted with infant car seats.

... and the little stuff. "Kids live all around the world so you can access most of what you really, truly need" at your destination, says Harbuck. If your luggage is getting too full, consider buying diapers, wipes, formula or baby food when you land. In Japan, we did laundry halfway through our trip to minimize the clothing we had to pack.

Set your expectations

traveller life expectancy

Traveling with young children alters the nature of the experience. It's important to set realistic expectations for your trip. Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption

Traveling with young children alters the nature of the experience. It's important to set realistic expectations for your trip.

I'll be honest: There were a lot of moments on our trip when I felt overwhelmed and a bit disappointed. Like when my jet-lagged baby woke up crying at 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and somehow again at 3:30 a.m. — for two nights in a row.

Both Harbuck and Sarkis acknowledge that post-kid travel is harder in many ways. But there are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success.

Redirect your attention to the positive aspects of your journey. "If you're focused only on the challenges, you're going to miss the joys," says Sarkis. For me, it was delightful to witness my baby do new things in Japan. He ate new foods like udon, miso soup and smoked fish. He was mesmerized by the Ryoanji Temple's rock garden in Kyoto and even more mesmerized by the steady stream of tourists' faces to observe.

A flight expert's hot take on holiday travel: 'Don't do it'

A flight expert's hot take on holiday travel: 'Don't do it'

See drawbacks as opportunities. If you have to go back to your hotel twice a day to let your child nap, see it as a moment to read, journal or "recharge for the next thing you do," says Sarkis.

Look out for special ways your child is helping you connect with the world. On flights, our neighbors told us about their own children or nieces and nephews. In restaurants, servers would come over to coo at him and make conversation with us in the process, despite the language barrier.

And finally, give yourself some kudos. For us parents, traveling was a big priority for us before he was born, and the experience made us proud to realize that yes — even with a small child, we can still see the world.

The audio portion of this episode was produced by Andee Tagle. The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at [email protected].

Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify , and sign up for our newsletter .

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Census 2022 Profile 5 - Diversity, Migration, Ethnicity, Irish Travellers & Religion

  • Irish Travellers

Census Results 2022 Branding

Census 2022 Results

This publication is part of a  series of results  from Census 2022. More thematic publications will be published throughout 2023 as outlined in the Census 2022  Publication Schedule .

The number of Irish Travellers living in the State and counted in Census 2022 was 32,949, an increase of 6% from 30,987 in the 2016 census. Irish Travellers make up less than 1% of the population so, for comparison purposes, it can be helpful to use rates per 1,000 of the population. This shows that in Census 2022, six out of 1,000 people in the State were Irish Travellers. The proportion of Irish Travellers in the population varied from county to county.

In Galway City, 21 out of every 1,000 people were Irish Travellers, in Longford, the rate was 20 per 1,000 of the population and in Offaly, it was 14 per 1,000.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown had the lowest number of Irish Travellers per 1,000 of the population with just under two Irish Travellers for every 1,000 people.

In Kildare and Dublin City, there were just under four Irish Travellers for every 1,000 people.

The Irish Traveller population increased in most counties, the largest rise being recorded in Offaly, up 30% to 1,174.

The Traveller population also increased by more than 200 in Cork (up 11% to 2,376), Fingal (up 17% to 1,545) and Tipperary (up 17% to 1,434).

There were drops in the number of Irish Travellers in some counties; the largest were recorded in Longford (down 13% to 913) and South Dublin (down 12% to 1,943).

Note: The analysis of Irish travellers is based on the usually resident population. The corresponding de facto figures in 2022 and 2016 were 33,033 and 31,075, respectively.

traveller life expectancy

The figure for Irish Travellers has a pyramid shape as opposed to the hourglass shape of the figure for the total population. This reflects higher fertility rates and lower average life expectancy among the Irish Traveller population than in the overall population.

Children under the age of 15 made up 36% of Irish Travellers compared with 20% of the total population. At a national level, 15% of the total population was aged 65 years and over while for Irish Travellers, the equivalent figure was just 5%.

Marital Status of Irish Travellers

Overall, 45% of Irish Travellers aged 15 years and over were single, up from 40% in 2016. The proportion of married Travellers dropped from 49% in 2016 to 44% in 2022.

Irish Traveller men were more likely to be either single (47%) or married (46%) than Irish Traveller women (42% single and 42% married).

Around 10% of Irish Traveller women were separated or divorced compared with 5% of Irish Traveller men.

Irish Traveller women were also more likely to be widowed (5%) than Irish Traveller men (2%).

Over 85% of Irish Travellers aged 15 to 24 years were single while 13% were married.

The proportion that were married increased to 49% for 25 to 34 year olds.

Among Irish Travellers aged 55 to 64 years, 14% were separated or divorced compared with 8% of Travellers aged 65 and over.

Overall, 25% of Irish Travellers aged 65 and over were widowed; the figure for Traveller women aged 65 and over was 35% and 15% for Traveller men.

Long-Lasting Conditions and Difficulties

There were 8,577 Irish Travellers who reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent, accounting for 26% of the Traveller population. In comparison, 22% of the total population living in the State reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent.

Breaking this down further, 15% of Irish Travellers (4,952 people) reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent or a lot compared with 8% of all people living in Ireland.

Another 11% of Irish Travellers (3,625 people) reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to some extent or a little while the comparable figure for the total population was 14%.

traveller life expectancy

The overall proportion of Irish Travellers experiencing a long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent was slightly higher for men (27%) than women (25%). Looking at the total population, women (22%) were more likely to experience a long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent than men (21%).

Of all children under the age of 15 living in the State, 4% reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent compared with 7% of Traveller children.

The proportion of 15 to 29 year old Irish Travellers experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent (13%) was more than twice that of all people in the same age cohort (6%).

Between the ages of 30 and 59, the proportion of the population experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to a great extent was over three times higher for Irish Travellers (21%) than the total population (6%).

Among the older age cohorts, the differences were less pronounced, and Irish Travellers over the age of 80 were slightly less likely to experience a long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent than would be expected in the overall population.

General Health

The question on general health shows that 22,050 Irish Travellers reported their general health as being good or very good (67%) while a further 3,899 Irish Travellers reported fair health status (12%).

There were 1,350 Irish Travellers reporting their health as bad or very bad, 4% of the Traveller population. This is twice as high as the proportion of the total population who reported their health as bad or very bad (2%).

The level of non-response in this question was quite high for Irish Travellers, at 17%, compared with 7% for the total population.

In the overall population, the proportion of people with good or very good health decreased slowly with age, up until the age of 70 when the decrease rate started to accelerate.

In the Irish Traveller population, the proportion of people with good or very good health decreased steadily with age up until the age of 70 at which point, the rate of decrease slowed down.

There were 5,427 Irish Travellers who were daily smokers in Census 2022, or 16% of the Traveller population compared with 9% of the total population.

Just under half of Irish Travellers had never smoked compared with 60% of the total population.

Some 9% of Travellers had given up smoking, compared with 19% for the total population.

Looking at smoking by age shows that one in three Irish Travellers between the ages of 25 and 54 were daily smokers.

Irish Traveller Households

There were 29,900 Irish Travellers living in private households in Census 2022. The majority were living in permanent housing, while 2,286 people were living in temporary housing units such as caravans and mobile homes.

The proportion of Irish Travellers living in private households who were living in caravans, mobile homes or other temporary accommodation was 8% in 2022, down from 12% in 2016.

In Fingal, 18% of Travellers were living in temporary accommodation, the highest proportion in the country in Census 2022.

In Dublin City, Kilkenny and Tipperary, 14% of Irish Travellers were living in temporary housing.

Household Size

There were 9,448 private households containing Irish Travellers. These households had an average size of 4 persons per household compared to an average size of 2.7 for the total population.

Irish Traveller households were largest in Leitrim, Roscommon and Kildare with an average size of 4.6 persons, followed by Clare with 4.5 persons per household.

The counties where the average size of Irish Traveller households was smallest were Dublin City with 3.5 persons per household and Louth, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Donegal (all with 3.6 persons per household).

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Countries with the longest life expectancy, ranked

Posted: November 10, 2023 | Last updated: November 10, 2023

<p>Around the world, living conditions have dramatically improved thanks to modern medicine and technology. As such, people are living longer than ever before. <a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/travel/542055/do-you-live-in-one-of-the-worlds-happiest-countries" rel="noopener">Several countries</a> have many centenarians living in them now, with the likelihood of more appearing each and every year.</p> <p>But which, exactly, are the countries with the longest life expectancy? In this gallery, we rank the top 30. Click on to discover them all!</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/163621?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-us"> The most famous kidnappings in history: where are they now?</a></p>

Around the world, living conditions have dramatically improved thanks to modern medicine and technology. As such, people are living longer than ever before. Several countries have many centenarians living in them now, with the likelihood of more appearing each and every year.

But which, exactly, are the countries with the longest life expectancy? In this gallery, we rank the top 30. Click on to discover them all!

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<p>The Mediterranean lifestyle contributes to Cypriots' longevity. Fresh foods and an active life play a role in their health. The island nation's climate may also support longer lives. Cyprus proves that environment and culture impact lifespan.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

The Mediterranean lifestyle contributes to Cypriots' longevity. Fresh foods and an active life play a role in their health. The island nation's climate may also support longer lives. Cyprus proves that environment and culture impact lifespan.

<p>Germany has secured the 29th position in global life expectancy rankings. This can be attributed to the country being the wealthiest in the European Union, with vast resources at its disposal to take care of its citizenry and improve living quality. The country's emphasis on healthcare and wellness has led to longer lifespans for its citizens.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/185190?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> What religious ideologies do the celebs follow?</a></p>

29. Germany

Germany has secured the 29th position in global life expectancy rankings. This can be attributed to the country being the wealthiest in the European Union, with vast resources at its disposal to take care of its citizenry and improve living quality. The country's emphasis on healthcare and wellness has led to longer lifespans for its citizens.

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<p>The funds Slovenia receives from the EU helped it improve its healthcare system and make it on par with many Western European countries, thus increasing the longevity of its citizens.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

28. Slovenia

The funds Slovenia receives from the EU helped it improve its healthcare system and make it on par with many Western European countries, thus increasing the longevity of its citizens.

<p>Next, we have the United Kingdom! This ranking indicates the progress and effectiveness of the UK's healthcare system, public health initiatives, and overall quality of life. It's a testament to the nation's ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of its citizens.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/257588?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Controversial British films banned around the world</a></p>

27. United Kingdom

Next, we have the United Kingdom! This ranking indicates the progress and effectiveness of the UK's healthcare system, public health initiatives, and overall quality of life. It's a testament to the nation's ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of its citizens.

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<p>Like most <a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/travel/321997/explore-europes-cute-little-countries" rel="noopener">Western European nations</a>, Belgium's advanced healthcare infrastructure and universal access to care are pivotal in its residents' longevity. The Belgian lifestyle, marked by a rich cultural scene and balanced diet, also contributes to the population's overall well-being.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

26. Belgium

Like most Western European nations , Belgium's advanced healthcare infrastructure and universal access to care are pivotal in its residents' longevity. The Belgian lifestyle, marked by a rich cultural scene and balanced diet, also contributes to the population's overall well-being.

<p>In 2019, Finland's life expectancy averaged 81 years. As of 2023, the country's life expectancy rate has increased to 82 years and will likely continue in that trajectory as medical technology advances.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/278242?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> The most bizarre lawsuits ever filed against celebrities</a></p>

25. Finland

In 2019, Finland's life expectancy averaged 81 years. As of 2023, the country's life expectancy rate has increased to 82 years and will likely continue in that trajectory as medical technology advances.

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<p>This standing reflects the Netherlands' excellent healthcare infrastructure and overall quality of life. The Dutch commitment to healthy living and public health initiatives has contributed to their residents' extended lifespans.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

24. Netherlands

This standing reflects the Netherlands' excellent healthcare infrastructure and overall quality of life. The Dutch commitment to healthy living and public health initiatives has contributed to their residents' extended lifespans.

<p>Despite its small size, Luxembourg has a fantastic healthcare system and rich economy that benefits enormously from the EU, allowing its people to live longer and more prosperous lives. The strides Luxembourg has made highlights its effective health policies and improved quality of life.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/324269?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Celine Dion's shocking new look</a></p>

23. Luxembourg

Despite its small size, Luxembourg has a fantastic healthcare system and rich economy that benefits enormously from the EU, allowing its people to live longer and more prosperous lives. The strides Luxembourg has made highlights its effective health policies and improved quality of life.

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<p>This ranking is a testament to Ireland's advanced healthcare system, proactive public health initiatives, and overall quality of life. The nation's consistent focus on health and wellness has evidently contributed to the longevity of its residents.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

22. Ireland

This ranking is a testament to Ireland's advanced healthcare system, proactive public health initiatives, and overall quality of life. The nation's consistent focus on health and wellness has evidently contributed to the longevity of its residents.

<p>The nation’s robust healthcare system, clean environment, and comprehensive welfare systems are pivotal in earning Iceland this ranking.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/387641?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Otherworldly encounters: Celebrities who believe in aliens</a></p>

21. Iceland

The nation’s robust healthcare system, clean environment, and comprehensive welfare systems are pivotal in earning Iceland this ranking.

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<p>This ranking reflects the nation's strong healthcare system, robust public health measures, and high living standards. It underscores Canada's dedication to ensuring the longevity and health of its populace.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

This ranking reflects the nation's strong healthcare system, robust public health measures, and high living standards. It underscores Canada's dedication to ensuring the longevity and health of its populace.

<p>The country's commitment to healthcare and its outdoor-centric lifestyle significantly enhance the well-being of its residents. Furthermore, New Zealand's clean environment and focus on community support promote longer, healthier lives for its citizens.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/418277?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> The best steps towards ultimate self-care</a></p>

19. New Zealand

The country's commitment to healthcare and its outdoor-centric lifestyle significantly enhance the well-being of its residents. Furthermore, New Zealand's clean environment and focus on community support promote longer, healthier lives for its citizens.

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<p>With one of the top healthcare systems and the second-largest economy in the European Union, France's citizens continue to thrive in terms of longevity.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

With one of the top healthcare systems and the second-largest economy in the European Union, France's citizens continue to thrive in terms of longevity.

<p>Israel's advanced healthcare system and robust public health measures support the longevity of its citizens. Cultural emphasis on family and community might also play a role in the Israelis' extended lifespans.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/444420?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Famous women who were demonized by the media</a></p>

Israel's advanced healthcare system and robust public health measures support the longevity of its citizens. Cultural emphasis on family and community might also play a role in the Israelis' extended lifespans.

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<p>This standing is a testament to Norway's exceptional healthcare system, standard of living, and a well-maintained environment. The focus on public health, education, and a strong social security system has significantly contributed to the longevity of Norway’s citizens.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

This standing is a testament to Norway's exceptional healthcare system, standard of living, and a well-maintained environment. The focus on public health, education, and a strong social security system has significantly contributed to the longevity of Norway’s citizens.

<p>This remarkable achievement underscores the effectiveness of San Marino’s public health strategies and societal well-being. It is a testament to the country's commitment to fostering environments that promote longevity and prosperous lives for its citizens.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/461053?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Celebrities who go barefootin'</a></p>

15. San Marino

This remarkable achievement underscores the effectiveness of San Marino’s public health strategies and societal well-being. It is a testament to the country's commitment to fostering environments that promote longevity and prosperous lives for its citizens.

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<p>Andorra’s ranking highlights the success of its public health policies and social environment in supporting long and fulfilling lives for its population.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

14. Andorra

Andorra’s ranking highlights the success of its public health policies and social environment in supporting long and fulfilling lives for its population.

<p>With improved medical information, technology, and greater healthcare availability for everyone, Australia can foster long and healthy lives for its residents.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/463831?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Celebrities photographed as infants and toddlers</a></p>

13. Australia

With improved medical information, technology, and greater healthcare availability for everyone, Australia can foster long and healthy lives for its residents.

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<p>This ranking underscores the island nation's proactive health initiatives and the quality of life enjoyed by its populace.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

This ranking underscores the island nation's proactive health initiatives and the quality of life enjoyed by its populace.

<p>South Korea's advanced healthcare system, technological prowess in medicine, and a diet rich in vegetables and fermented foods have allowed its citizens to live much longer.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/467053?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Famous babies: Where are they now?</a></p>

11. South Korea

South Korea's advanced healthcare system, technological prowess in medicine, and a diet rich in vegetables and fermented foods have allowed its citizens to live much longer.

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<p>With focused care and a close-knit community, the residents of Vatican City have been noted for living notably longer, vibrant lives. The unique environment of Vatican City, along with lifestyle factors, has contributed to this remarkable standing in life expectancy ratings worldwide.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

10. Vatican City (City-State)

With focused care and a close-knit community, the residents of Vatican City have been noted for living notably longer, vibrant lives. The unique environment of Vatican City, along with lifestyle factors, has contributed to this remarkable standing in life expectancy ratings worldwide.

<p>Spain’s Mediterranean diet and strong family ties play significant roles in contributing to the longevity of its citizens.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/485198?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> The tragic love story of a posthumous queen</a></p>

Spain’s Mediterranean diet and strong family ties play significant roles in contributing to the longevity of its citizens.

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<p>As with many countries on this list, Italy's advanced healthcare system has allowed its citizens to live longer than most people on earth. Their lifestyle, rich in healthy Mediterranean diet practices and strong community ties, likely plays a significant role in this achievement.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

As with many countries on this list, Italy's advanced healthcare system has allowed its citizens to live longer than most people on earth. Their lifestyle, rich in healthy Mediterranean diet practices and strong community ties, likely plays a significant role in this achievement.

<p>A blend of exceptional healthcare services, a robust economy, and a clean environment have significantly contributed to the longevity of Singapore’s residents.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/492041?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Discover Satan's equivalents in religions around the world</a></p>

7. Singapore

A blend of exceptional healthcare services, a robust economy, and a clean environment have significantly contributed to the longevity of Singapore’s residents.

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<p>Often regarded as having one the best healthcare systems in the world and boasting an outstanding economy, Switzerland's citizens get to reap the benefits of both and thus can prosper.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

6. Switzerland

Often regarded as having one the best healthcare systems in the world and boasting an outstanding economy, Switzerland's citizens get to reap the benefits of both and thus can prosper.

<p>This ranking underscores the country's success in providing excellent healthcare, promoting healthy lifestyles, and maintaining a high standard of living for its residents. Liechtenstein's commitment to enhancing the well-being of its citizens has undeniably contributed to their increased longevity and overall quality of life.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/493697?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> Exploring the Skeleton Coast, the "land God made in anger"</a></p>

5. Liechtenstein

This ranking underscores the country's success in providing excellent healthcare, promoting healthy lifestyles, and maintaining a high standard of living for its residents. Liechtenstein's commitment to enhancing the well-being of its citizens has undeniably contributed to their increased longevity and overall quality of life.

You may also like: Exploring the Skeleton Coast, the "land God made in anger"

<p>The country's exceptional healthcare system, nourishing diet, and integrated societal respect for the elderly collectively contribute to the citizens’ prolonged lifespans, affirming Japan's status as a leader in fostering longevity and health.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

The country's exceptional healthcare system, nourishing diet, and integrated societal respect for the elderly collectively contribute to the citizens’ prolonged lifespans, affirming Japan's status as a leader in fostering longevity and health.

<p>Macau has clinched the third spot globally in terms of life expectancy. The region's focus on health and well-being has significantly benefited its population's longevity.</p><p>You may also like:<a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/n/499062?utm_source=msn.com&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=referral_description&utm_content=582401en-en"> History's most admirable feats of activism</a></p>

3. Macau (Special Administrative Region)

Macau has clinched the third spot globally in terms of life expectancy. The region's focus on health and well-being has significantly benefited its population's longevity.

You may also like: History's most admirable feats of activism

<p>In second place, this accomplishment reflects Hong Kong’s robust healthcare system, health-conscious society, and continual public health improvements. The enabling environment is safe for its citizens, contributing to their longevity, and also underscores Hong Kong's commitment to fostering a supportive environment that promotes its residents' longevity and quality of life.</p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-7xx8mnucu55yw63we9va2gwr7uihbxwc68fxqp25x6tg4ftibpra?cvid=94631541bc0f4f89bfd59158d696ad7e">Follow us and access great exclusive content every day</a></p>

2. Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region)

In second place, this accomplishment reflects Hong Kong’s robust healthcare system, health-conscious society, and continual public health improvements. The enabling environment is safe for its citizens, contributing to their longevity, and also underscores Hong Kong's commitment to fostering a supportive environment that promotes its residents' longevity and quality of life.

<p>Monaco proudly holds the top position for having the longest life expectancy globally. This distinction reflects the principality's excellent healthcare, affluent living conditions, and supportive social environment. Their healthy Mediterranean diet and significant time spent outdoors greatly contribute to the population's longevity.</p> <p>Sources: (World Population Review) (Daily Mail) (Altoo) (database.earth) (Statista) (The World Factbook) (Macrotrends)<br><br>See also: <a href="https://www.starsinsider.com/travel/193890/countries-to-visit-that-love-american-tourists">Countries that love American tourists</a></p>

1. Monaco (Sovereign Principality)

Monaco proudly holds the top position for having the longest life expectancy globally. This distinction reflects the principality's excellent healthcare, affluent living conditions, and supportive social environment. Their healthy Mediterranean diet and significant time spent outdoors greatly contribute to the population's longevity.

Sources: (World Population Review) (Daily Mail) (Altoo) (database.earth) (Statista) (The World Factbook) (Macrotrends) See also: Countries that love American tourists

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IMAGES

  1. Average US Life Expectancy Statistics By Gender, Ethnicity & State In

    traveller life expectancy

  2. U.S. Life Expectancy Rises (infographic)

    traveller life expectancy

  3. How does U.S. life expectancy compare to other countries?

    traveller life expectancy

  4. Life Expectancy by State (Source: CDC) : r/MapPorn

    traveller life expectancy

  5. Life Expectancy

    traveller life expectancy

  6. How is Australia ranking for Life Expectancy?

    traveller life expectancy

COMMENTS

  1. The big fat truth about Gypsy life

    The rate of suicides among Traveller women is significantly higher than in the general population, and life expectancy is low for women and men, with one third of Travellers dying before the age ...

  2. What are the health inequalities faced by Irish Travellers and how can

    Irish Traveller life-expectancy estimates are shocking. Data from the All-Ireland Traveller Health Study suggest that Traveller men have a life expectancy of only 63 years (vs 78 in the general population). For Traveller women, that figure is 71 years (vs 82 in the general population). This means Irish Travellers die about 11-15 years earlier ...

  3. Ageing for Travellers redefined as 40+ years due to low life expectancy

    A report by the Healthy and Positive Ageing Initiative, launched today, acknowledges the gap in health outcomes and includes indicators that redefine Traveller ageing as 40+, recognising the short lifespan and early ageing of Travellers. According to Census 2016, just 3% of the Traveller population were 65 years or older.

  4. How does U.S. life expectancy compare to other countries?

    In 2022, the CDC estimates life expectancy at birth in the U.S. increased to 77.5 years, up 1.1 years from 76.4 years in 2021, but still down 1.3 years from 78.8 years in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The average life expectancy at birth among comparable countries was 82.2 years in 2022, down 0.1 years from 2021 and down 0.5 years from 2019.

  5. Health status of Gypsies and Travellers in England

    The 1987 national study of Travellers' health status in Ireland 11 reported a high death rate for all causes and lower life expectancy for Irish Travellers: women 11.9 years and men 9.9 years lower than the non‐Traveller population.

  6. 50% of Travellers die before 39

    The startling findings contained in a new book on Traveller mortality suggest that life expectancy in the Traveller community is equivalent to that of settled people in Ireland in the 1940s ...

  7. Sad truth revealed about Travellers' life expectancy

    Mon 25 Jun 2007 at 16:00. TRAVELLERS have the same life expectancy as people living in the Ireland of the 1940s, with half dying before reaching the age of 39. Death rates among the community are ...

  8. Vaccination uptake among Traveller communities significantly lower than

    Substantial health inequalities exist between the Traveller and general population, with the life expectancy of Travellers being 10-12 years lower than non-Traveller equivalents. Several studies have shown that there is lower vaccine uptake in Traveller children but this is the first study to present recent, accurate data in the UK.

  9. Life Expectancy

    In 2021, the global average life expectancy was just over 70 years. This is an astonishing fact - because just two hundred years ago, it was less than half. This was the case for all world regions: in 1800, no region had a life expectancy higher than 40 years. The average life expectancy has risen steadily and significantly across all regions. 1.

  10. Grief, Tragic Death, and Multiple Loss in the Lives of Irish Traveller

    The All Ireland Traveller Health Study (AITHS; All Ireland Traveller Health Study Team, 2010a, 2010b, 2010c) found that Irish Traveller men and women have a life expectancy of 65 years, 13 years less than the national average for men and 16 years less for women. Infant mortality among Travellers is estimated at four times the national average ...

  11. Traveller Health Statistics

    The life expectancy for Traveller women in 1987 was 65.3 years, 11.9 years less than settled women. In 2008, ten years on, there is little change, with Traveller women having a life expectancy of 70.1, 11.1 years less than women from the majority population. The statistics pertaining to male Traveller life expectancy are very worrying, with an ...

  12. Tackling inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities

    Life expectancy is 10 to 12 years less than that of the non-Traveller population; 20; 42 per cent of English Gypsies are affected by a long term condition, as opposed to 18 per cent of the general population; 21; One in five Gypsy Traveller mothers will experience the loss of a child, compared to one in a hundred in the non-Traveller community. 22

  13. Travellers and life expectancy figures

    A document covering the decade up to 2005 (Travellers' Last Rights) found that only half lived beyond the age of 40, and described astonishing levels of suicide and road traffic accidents ...

  14. Irish Traveller Health

    The life expectancy for Traveller men is 61.7 years, 15.1 years less than the general population. The infant mortality rate is 3.6 times higher than the general population (14.1 deaths per hundred thousand compared with 3.9 per hundred thousand). Indeed, Irish Travellers have been found to have the highest infant mortality rate in Europe.

  15. NVSS

    National life expectancy estimates are calculated using period (current) life tables. Life tables are used to measure mortality, survivorship, and the life expectancy of a population at varying ages. Period life tables estimate how many more years a group of people who are currently at a particular age - any age from birth to 100 or more ...

  16. gov

    Technical Report 2 reports on Demography and Vital Statistics including mortality and life expectancy data, an initial report of the Birth Cohort Study and a report on Travellers in Institutions. The Birth Cohort Study was a 1 year follow-up of all Traveller babies born on the island of Ireland between 14th October 2008 and 13th October 2009 ...

  17. Life Expectancy in the U.S. Dropped for the Second Year in a Row in 2021

    That decline - 77.0 to 76.1 years - took U.S. life expectancy at birth to its lowest level since 1996. The 0.9 year drop in life expectancy in 2021, along with a 1.8 year drop in 2020, was the biggest two-year decline in life expectancy since 1921-1923. The data are featured in a new report, " Provisional Life Expectancy Estimates for 2021.

  18. How to Calculate Your Life Expectancy

    Here are two to try: Social Security Life Expectancy Calculator: Based on Social Security actuarial tables, this simple calculator estimates your lifespan based on your current age. Simply enter ...

  19. Iowa's life expectancy sees increase according to Univ. of ...

    A University of Iowa study looking at age in the state shows Iowa's life expectancy rising. Researchers call this a mega trend that is expected to continue into 2030.

  20. Actuarial Life Table

    A period life table is based on the mortality experience of a population during a relatively short period of time. Here we present the 2020 period life table for the Social Security area population, as used in the 2023 Trustees Report (TR).For this table, the period life expectancy at a given age is the average remaining number of years expected prior to death for a person at that exact age ...

  21. Fremont County Sheriff's Office investigating fatal grain bin ...

    Iowa bill would cap amount travel nurse agencies can charge hospitals, nursing homes Iowa's life expectancy sees increase according to Univ. of Iowa study News

  22. Traveling with babies and toddlers: What to pack, what to expect : Life

    Preethi Harbuck, author of the travel blog Local Passport Family and a mom of six kids helps parents who have these questions. She agrees that taking a big trip withyoung children — that is ...

  23. Irish Travellers

    By comparison, median life expectancy in Ireland is 81.5 years.) Another government report of 1987 found: From birth to old age, they have high mortality rates, particularly from accidents, metabolic and congenital problems, but also from other major causes of death. Female Travellers have especially high mortality compared to settled women.

  24. Irish Travellers

    This reflects higher fertility rates and lower average life expectancy among the Irish Traveller population than in the overall population. Children under the age of 15 made up 36% of Irish Travellers compared with 20% of the total population. At a national level, 15% of the total population was aged 65 years and over while for Irish Travellers ...

  25. Augments limit and Sanity : r/traveller

    We all agreed for some limit in that, similar to cyberpunk. I came up with idea of that augments can lower total Sanity. After intalation of augment player rolls for Sanity, positiv effects doesn't do anything, but negativ decress total Sanity. Effect -1 = -1 STY. Effect -2/-5 = -2 STY.

  26. Countries with the longest life expectancy, ranked

    In 2019, Finland's life expectancy averaged 81 years. As of 2023, the country's life expectancy rate has increased to 82 years and will likely continue in that trajectory as medical technology ...