The 15 Places Around the World Where People Live the Longest

It may be the second-smallest — and the most densely populated — country in the world, but Monaco sees the world’s highest life expectancy. It doesn’t hurt that the Western European country, on the French Riviera, is home to the highest number of millionaires and billionaires per capita in the world.

Average Life Span: 89.73 years

Typical Diet: Largely Mediterranean

Macau has the second-highest life expectancy in the world, according to the CIA World Factbook. Some point to this Chinese territory’s strong (largely gambling-based) economy — about 70 percent of money generated on the casino floor is invested by Macau’s government into healthcare.

Average Life Span: 84.41 years

Typical Diet: Mainly plant- and seafood-based

The 30,000 citizens of this tiny microstate, landlocked by Italy, enjoy one of the longest life spans in the world. San Marino has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, no national debt, a budget surplus, and roughly half its people actively practice their faith — all possible factors.

Average Life Span: 83.01 years

Typical Diet: Similar to cuisine in Italy's Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions

Sardinia ties with Okinawa for having the highest ratio of centenarians in the world — 22 centenarians per 100,000 people. The island, 120 miles off Italy’s coast, is home to rugged terrain great for calorie-burning. Come evening, locals enjoy a glass of red wine alongside humor-filled conversation — in fact, the word "sardonic" originates in Sardinia.

Average Life Span: 81 years

Typical Diet: Plants and beans; sheep cheese and goat’s milk; meat eaten as an accent