A major new study has revealed a surprising and troubling trend even the richest Americans are more likely to die early compared to some of Europe’s poorest citizens. The research, which compared data from more than 73,000 adults, found that across all income levels, Europeans have better survival rates than Americans and the gap is especially stark at the top.
While it’s widely known that wealth often leads to better health and longevity, the study shows that this benefit is far more limited in the United States. In fact, individuals in the wealthiest quartile of the U.S. still had significantly higher death rates than their European counterparts and in some cases, higher than even the poorest in Europe.
The researchers believe this difference is largely due to stronger social safety nets, better access to healthcare, and more robust support systems in Europe, which help protect people’s health regardless of income level.
Irene Papanicolas, director of the Centre for Health System Sustainability at Brown University “The findings are a stark reminder that even the wealthiest Americans are not shielded from the systemic issues in the U.S. contributing to lower life expectancy such as economic inequality, stress, poor diet, and environmental risks”.
The data revealed that the richest Americans had a 40% lower death rate than the poorest within the U.S a sharp inequality. But when compared internationally, Americans fared worse:
•Continental Europeans had about 40% lower death rates than Americans.
•Southern Europeans showed around 30% lower death rates.
•Even Eastern Europeans, typically with lower national income levels, had 13% to 20% lower death rates than Americans.
Sara Machado, a research scientist at Brown “We found that where you rank in your own country’s wealth matters, but so does how your country compares to others in terms of overall support and care, Improving health outcomes isn’t just about helping the poor even the wealthy are affected when a system fails.”
The research used data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study and Europe’s Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement, painting a clear picture of how policy and social structure shape national health outcomes.
Ultimately the study argues that weak social welfare systems and structural inequality in the U.S. leave everyone more vulnerable not just the poorest.