Women may not live longer than men after all, says study

A study has called into question the belief that women outlive men. The analysis spanning two centuries across all continents concluded that although men have a lower life expectancy than the opposite sex, they have a “substantial chance of outliving females”.

Between 25% and 50% of men have outlived women, according to the academics in Denmark, who highlighted that large differences in life expectancy sometimes mask substantial overlaps in lifespan between the sexes. The study, published in the BMJ Open journal, concluded that men have a high probability of outliving women, especially those who are married or have a degree.