The long-held belief that women outlast men, especially married or college-educated men, has been questioned by a study.

Although men have a shorter life expectancy than women, there is a “substantial likelihood” that they will outlive women, according to an analysis spanning two centuries and all continents.

25 to 50 percent of men have outlived women, according to scientists in Denmark, who noted that big discrepancies in life expectancy can disguise major overlaps in lifespan between the sexes and that averaging the duration of life can be a “simplistic metric.”

The study, which was published in the journal BMJ Open, evaluated data on the lifespan of men and women in 199 nations for nearly two centuries. It was determined that men had a high likelihood of outliving women, particularly those who are married or possess a college degree.

The authors stated, “Males who are married or have a bachelor’s degree tend to outlive women who are unmarried or lack a high school education.”

In affluent countries, the probability of men outliving women decreased until the 1970s, after which it grew progressively in all demographics.

The increase and decrease in life expectancy disparities were primarily attributable to smoking and other behavioral factors. A blind interpretation of variations in life expectancy can occasionally lead to a mistaken picture of genuine disparities [in lifespan].

Although male life expectancy is often shorter than female life expectancy and male mortality rates are typically greater at all ages, males have a significant chance of outliving females.

“These findings contradict the common perception that men do not live as long as women and reflect a more nuanced disparity between female and male lifespans.”

Examining the longevity of both sexes in various countries was suggested as a more appropriate metric by the experts.