Longer and healthier lives are a prospect for all of us, according to a global survey.

The World Health Organisation says we are already feeling the benefits.

Better education and medical advances are pushing the boundaries of human longevity.

The WHO's 1998 World Health Report points to a number of demographic developments.

• By 2025 we can expect the average worldwide life expectancy of 66 years rising to 73, a 50% improvement on the 1955 average of 48.

• The global population of around 5.8 million will increase to 8 billion.

• Premature deaths, defined as those before the age of 50, will be reduced by half by 2025.

• The number of people older than 65 will have risen from 390 million in 1997 to 800 million by 2025, in other words from 6.6% of the population to 10%.

• The proportion of people under the age of 20 will have fallen from 40% recorded last year to 32%.

• France is expected to have 150,000 centenarians by 2050 compared with only 200 in 1950.

• All the countries with the lowest predicted life expectancies were African apart from Afghanistan.