GZERO North

Graphic Truth: The longevity wars

Luisa Vieira

Life expectancy, a key indicator of a nation’s well-being, has been diverging between the United States and Canada in recent years. The gap in life expectancy now stands at four years between the neighboring countries, highlighting a significant divergence in health outcomes.

In the US, life expectancy has been plateauing – and it even declined by two years from 2019-2021, due to the pandemic, the opioid crisis, and increasing rates of obesity and related health issues. Canada, meanwhile, has fared better, with life expectancy continuing on an upward trajectory because of its universal health care system, lower rates of obesity and drug-related deaths, and more effective pandemic response.

More For You

US President Donald Trump arrives to announce reciprocal tariffs against US trading partners in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, on April 2, 2025.
POOL via CNP/INSTARimages.com

From civil conflicts to trade wars to the rise of new technologies, GZERO runs through the stories that have shaped this year in geopolitics.

Ukrainian serviceman walks near apartment buildings damaged by Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine December 20, 2025.
Oleg Petrasiuk/Press Service of the 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS

Ukrainian intelligence services assassinated a senior Russian general on the streets of Moscow on Monday, detonating a bomb strapped to his car.