Humanity has slowed down its own biological clock. And that could make living 100 years the exception, not the rule.
Throughout the 20th century, antibiotics, vaccines, clean water, and improved nutrition turned early mortality into an exception. Life expectancy increased every year, as if we had learned to tame death. But something changed. Today, that seemingly unstoppable curve is flattening out, and it’s just been put into numbers: living to 100 years old could be becoming less likely for those born between 1939 and 2000, even in the most developed countries.
### A Century of Progress Slowing Down
Between 1900 and 1938, life expectancy increased on average by five and a half months for each new year of birth. It was a historic leap: we went from living 62 years in 1900 to nearly 80 before 1940. Sanitary improvements, the decline in infant mortality, and the control of infectious diseases explained that spectacular evolution.
The increase has now reduced to just 2.5 to 3.5 months per year. In other words, we are still living longer, but at a much slower pace. According to researchers, the new enemies – obesity, sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, or cardiovascular diseases – are much more difficult to overcome.
### The Paradox of Abundance
Paradoxically, abundance. The abundance of ultra-processed foods, sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, and excessive use of screens have generated new invisible epidemics. Longevity no longer depends on antibiotics or vaccines but on how we manage our daily health in an environment that conspires against it.
And there is something even more unsettling: although current healthcare systems are the most advanced in history, unequal access, pressure on resources, and socioeconomic gaps are marking a new biological frontier between those who can live long and those who cannot.
### The Challenge of the 21st Century
Nothing is set in stone. Regular exercise, balanced diet, sufficient rest, and strong social bonds remain the pillars of healthy aging.
But the real challenge is collective. The 20th century was the era of vaccines and modern medicine. It is not enough to live longer; now the challenge is to live better without letting progress consume us from within.
