The Exceptional Longevity Initiative at Iowa State University began in 2007. It is concerned with adaptation and exceptional survival skills in very late life and has three specific aims:
- To study exceptional survival skills in rural environments
- To examine activity, cognition, and mental health in late life
- To assess the diversity of the oldest-old population
The initiative is currently supported by funds from the United States Department of Agriculture, Hatch Project Grant.
Life Expectancy and Centenarian Demographics
As of 2019, the global life expectancy was 73.1 years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline, with global life expectancy dropping by 1.8 years to 71.3 years between 2019 and 2021, reverting to levels observed in 2012 (World Health Organization). According to data from the World Population Review, life expectancy varies significantly across countries. In 2023, Monaco had the highest life expectancy globally at 87.14 years, while the United States had a life expectancy of 76.1 years (World Population Review, 2023).
Centenarians are individuals 100 years of age and older. The 2020 Census indicated that there were 80,139 centenarians in the United States. According to Pew Research (2024), the U.S. centenarian population is projected to quadruple over the next 30 years, reaching nearly 377,000 by 2054. (Pew Research).
Currently, women make up the majority of the centenarian population in the U.S (78.8%)., but the proportion of men is expected to increase, with women comprising 68% and men 32% by 2054.
Centenarians currently make up just 0.03% of the overall U.S. population, and they are expected to reach 0.1% in 2054. (Pew Research)
As of January 2020, there were about 1030 centenarians in Iowa (U.S. Census Report). According to Pew Research (2024), Japan is the country with the greatest number of people in their 100s, at 146,000. U.S. (108,000), China (60,000), India (48,000) and Thailand (38,000) round out the top five.