ROME, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The northern Italian regions of Veneto and Trentino-South Tyrol top the country's ranking for life expectancy - and bear the extra costs it puts on their healthcare systems, according to a fresh report from the Veneto Chapter of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (SIGG).
This year's top two regions, which together have a population of around 5 million, have seen the share of their population over the age of 90 growing by around 2,000 people per year.
SIGG said life expectancy in Veneto was 81.0 years for men and 85.0 for women, while in Trentino-South Tyrol it was 81.5 years for men and 86.0 for women. While these are the highest numbers in Italy, the country itself is in the top league globally for high life expectancy.
"A combination of healthy and low-stress lifestyles and a strong healthcare system is helping people to live longer than in most other places," a SIGG official told Xinhua on Friday.
But the growing share of senior citizens is putting extra burdens on the healthcare systems of the two regions, the SIGG said. In practical terms, it means having to care for more than 600,000 people -- more than 1 percent of the population - who are over the age of 65 and suffering from two or more chronic illnesses. Moreover, 180,000 elderly residents in the two regions are classified as not capable of safely living on their own.
The growing healthcare costs must be shouldered by a shrinking population, a trend that is due to the toxic combination of higher life expectancy and falling birth rates.
ISTAT, Italy's National Statistics Institute, predicted in September that the country's population would decline from an estimated 59.0 million at the start of last year to 58.1 million in 2030, 54.4 million in 2050, and 45.8 million in 2080.
