It has long been believed that women outnumber men (Credit Getty)

A new study questions the long-standing belief that women are superior to men.

According to Danish scientists, men “are more likely to live longer than women”, although men have a shorter life expectancy than women.

Life expectancy, which summarizes life expectancy, is a “simplistic measure” and is often interpreted to mean that “men don’t live as long as women,” the researchers said.

They argue that simply looking at life expectancy means that people don’t consider fluctuations around the average, saying, “Even if life expectancy indicates a female preponderance, the majority of men are the majority.”

A better measure, they say, might be to look at the life expectancy of men and women in different countries.

Their study, published in the journal BMJ Open, examined life expectancy data for men and women in 199 countries over nearly 200 years.

The analysis found that men were more likely to live longer than women, especially those who were married and had a degree.

“Married or college-educated men tend to live longer than single women or women without a high school education,” the authors said.

We found that the odds of men outperforming women ranged from 25% to 50%.

They noted that the large difference in life expectancy masks a large overlap in life expectancy between men and women.

Blind interpretation of differences in life expectancy can lead to a distorted perception of real inequalities. [in lifespan]”, writes the author.

“Men’s life expectancy is generally shorter than women’s, and men’s death rates are generally higher at all ages, but men are more likely to live longer than women.

“These findings challenge the common impression that ‘men don’t live as long as women’ and reveal subtle differences in life expectancy between women and men.