Abstract
BACKGROUND: The life expectancy (LE) index reflects health changes in society, highlighting trends in health quality and quantity. This study focused on analysing the impact of the top 10 causes of death on the global increase in LE in 2019. METHODS: Data on the top 10 causes of death in 2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease website and a period life table was used to assess how eliminating these causes would impact LE. RESULTS: At the global level, eliminating deaths from ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections, neonatal conditions, lung cancers, Alzheimer's disease, diarrheal diseases, diabetes mellitus and kidney diseases resulted in an increase in LE at birth of 2.44, 1.64, 0.75, 0.80, 4.06, 0.48, 0.36, 0.52, 0.36 and 0.35 y, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis reveals a gender gap in LE influenced by specific causes of death and regional differences. Therefore, public health policies should be customized for each area to target reductions in deaths that significantly improve LE.