How Singapore became a ‘Blue Zone 2.0’ by engineering a 20-year increase in lifespans

Longevity expert explains how enlightened polices have increased Singapore lifespans, as track stars in their 80s talk about ageing well

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Singapore has been named a Blue Zone – a place with long life expectancy and low rates of chronic disease. These octogenarian relay runners talk about how the country makes it easy to age well.
Photo: John Chua

Published: 6:15pm, 3 Aug 2024

Singapore was named a Blue Zone 2.0, or “the next frontier of ageing”, in 2023 by Dan Buettner, the American author and explorer who coined the term “Blue Zones” for places with lower rates of chronic disease and a longer life expectancy.

Unlike the five original places Buettner identified – Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California – where traditional ways of life have naturally led inhabitants to live longer and healthier lives, Singapore is an “engineered” Blue Zone.

Its status is the product of infrastructure, programmes and legislation that encourage citizens to live healthier lives. Singapore features in the 2023 Netflix documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.

Life expectancy in Singapore has grown by 20 years since 1960, and in 2023 the Southeast Asian island state had the seventh highest in the world, with an average lifespan of 82.13 years for men and 86.42 years for women.

Dr Andrea Maier and her team at Chi Longevity Clinic in Singapore help clients age healthily. Photo: Chi Longevity Clinic

This is not by accident, says Dr Andrea Maier, a professor at the National University of Singapore and co-founder of the Chi Longevity clinic in Singapore.

“For one, Singapore has an excellent healthcare system, and that helps with increasing life expectancy,” she says.