Editing Longevity (section)

{{Short description|Longer than typical lifespan, especially of humans}}
{{Redirect|Human longevity|the company|Human Longevity}}
[[Image:Comparison of male and female life expectancy -world.svg|thumb|upright 1.3|Comparison of male and female life expectancy at birth for countries and territories as defined by [[World Health Organization|WHO]] for 2019. The green dotted line corresponds to equal female and male life expectancy. Open the original [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Comparison_of_male_and_female_life_expectancy_-world.svg svg-image] in a separate window and hover over a bubble to see more detailed information. The square of the bubbles is proportional to the country's population based on estimation of the [[United Nations|UN]].]]

'''Longevity''' may refer to especially long-lived members of a population, whereas ''life expectancy'' is defined [[Statistics|statistically]] as the average number of years remaining at a given age. For example, a population's life expectancy at birth is the same as the average age at death for all people born in the same year (in the case of [[Cohort (statistics)|cohorts]]).

Longevity studies may involve putative methods to extend life. Longevity has been a topic not only for the scientific community but also for writers of [[Hyperborei|travel]], [[science fiction]], and [[utopia]]n novels. The legendary fountain of youth appeared in the work of the Ancient Greek historian [[Herodotus]].

There are difficulties in authenticating the longest human [[maximum life span|life span]], owing to inaccurate or incomplete birth statistics. Fiction, legend, and folklore have proposed or claimed life spans in the past or future vastly longer than those verified by modern standards, and [[longevity narratives]] and unverified [[longevity claims]] frequently speak of their existence in the present.

A [[life annuity]] is a form of [[longevity insurance]].