BEER-SHEVA, Israel, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Israeli Jews live approximately 81 years and Israeli Arabs live 79 years, while the average American life expectancy is 78 years, researchers say.

Professor Dov Chernichovsky of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for Jerusalem's Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel says Israeli Arabs still lag behind Israelis -- due in part to cultural, social and educational issues -- but they still live noticeably longer on average than Americans.


Japan has the highest life expectancy of all developed countries, averaging 82 years, the U.N. Human Development Index, an accepted overall measure of national health and the public health indicator, indicates.

In 1980, the life expectancy for Israeli Jews, Americans and residents of the other developed countries was almost identical at approximately 74 years, but Israeli Arabs were two years less, or 72.

"Since then, the increase in Israeli life expectancy has far outpaced those of other countries," Chernichovsky says in a statement. "Life expectancy in the U.S. grew by four years since 1980, and in the rest of the countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development it grew by six years. But for Israelis, both Jews and Arabs, the gain was more than seven years."