In 1990 there were a mere 95,000 centenarians in the world (that we knew of). Now there are more than 500,000. That’s partly a function of a fast-growing population, of course – there were more births in 1925 than in 1890. But it is also one of rapidly rising lifespans. Over the last 100 years, life expectancy has gone up by a couple of years every decade.
The Office for National Statistics’ life-expectancy calculator (well worth a visit if you need a boost) will tell you that a 60-year-old man today is most likely to live to be 85, and has
