Reply to Permanyer et al.: The uncertainty surrounding healthy life expectancy indicators.

Permanyer et al. (1) extend the analysis of human longevity by Vaupel et al. (2) to analyze trends in best-practice healthy life expectancy (BPHLE) in addition to best-practice life expectancy (BPLE) at birth. They estimate that, in the period 1990–2019, BPHLE increased at a slower pace than BPLE. We concur with Permanyer et al. (1) about the importance of healthy life expectancy. Differences in trends between BPHLE and BPLE, however, are not obvious when it is recognized that BPHLE estimates are uncertain. As life expectancy rises, it is unclear whether the extra years of life are being lived in good health. Mixed results have been found, depending on the age, population, and measure used (3). Since the seminal work by Sanders (4 … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: jamesw.vaupel{at}gmail.com. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1