The relay for human longevity: country-specific contributions to the increase of the best-practice life expectancy

This study investigates the long-term dynamics of longevity by taking into account the specific contribution of each country, and how this has changed over time, thus highlighting different timing and speeds of the evolution of life expectancy among the low-lowest mortality countries. Leveraging on quantile regression, we analyze the specific position of countries that have recorded the maximum (BPLE) and second-best life expectancy value at least once in the period 1960-2014, both at ages 0 and 65. Moving in this direction, the purpose of our contribution is to provide new perspectives on the untracked behavior that may be overshadowed by the maximum longevity levels. Our results provide a comprehensive picture of the different phases and transitions experienced by developed countries in the evolution of life expectancy that has led to a continuous increase in the BPLE. This study is a prominent practice in detecting untracked behaviors, providing imminent onsets on the maximum and sub-maximum values, thus contributing to new clues for future longevity.