
Japanese women top global life expectancy for 40th straight year
Their average life expectancy was 87.13 years, a slight drop of 0.01 year from 2023. Men's life expectancy remained unchanged at 81.09, but their global ranking slipped to sixth from fifth, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said.
Japan was followed in the global ranking for women by South Korea at 86.40 and Spain at 86.34. Among men, Sweden ranked first at 82.29, followed by Switzerland at 82.20 and Norway at 81.59, the ministry said.
Life expectancy for both men and women declined in 2021 and 2022, due largely to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but rebounded in 2023.

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Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Japanese women top global life expectancy for 40th straight year
Japanese women had the highest life expectancy in the world in 2024, marking the 40th consecutive year at the top, government data showed Friday. Their average life expectancy was 87.13 years, a slight drop of 0.01 year from 2023. Men's life expectancy remained unchanged at 81.09, but their global ranking slipped to sixth from fifth, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. Japan was followed in the global ranking for women by South Korea at 86.40 and Spain at 86.34. Among men, Sweden ranked first at 82.29, followed by Switzerland at 82.20 and Norway at 81.59, the ministry said. Life expectancy for both men and women declined in 2021 and 2022, due largely to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but rebounded in 2023. © KYODO


Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Average Life Expectancy Flat in 2024
Tokyo, July 25 (Jiji Press) — The average life expectancy of Japanese citizens born in 2024 remained almost unchanged from the previous year, a health ministry survey showed Friday. It stood at 81.09 years for men and 87.13 years for women. The average life expectancy indicates a future average lifespan for children born in a particular year. It is calculated on the premise that mortality rates at each age will not change. The country's life expectancy declined in 2021 and 2022, due to the COVID-19 crisis, after continuing to climb generally since the ministry started the survey in 1947. It rebounded in 2023 as the number of deaths from the disease dropped. The life expectancy of Japanese men placed sixth globally in 2024, after Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Italy and Spain, dropping one place from 2023. That of Japanese women remained in first spot, followed by South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, France and Italy. The share of Japanese men born in 2024 who are projected to live until 75 and 90 stands at 75.3 % and 25.8%, respectively. Of women born last year, 87.9% are expected to live until 75 and 50.2% until 90. The ministry also predicted the causes of death for people born in 2024, with 25.59% of men, the largest group, seen dying of cancer, and 20.75% of women, the highest share, likely to pass away due to old age, higher than 19.06% for cancer deaths. If no one dies of cancer, life expectancy would rise 3.11 years for men and 2.68 years for women, the ministry said.


NHK
2 days ago
- NHK
Japanese women top life expectancy list for 40th straight year
Japan's heath ministry says Japanese women in 2024 had the highest average life expectancy among countries that release data on the subject, topping the list for the 40th straight year. The ministry says the average lifespan for Japanese women was 87.13 years, down by 0.01 years compared to the previous year. The figure for Japanese men was 81.09 years, which remained the same as in 2023. Japanese men came in sixth place, behind countries such as Sweden, Switzerland and Norway. Average life expectancies tended to become shorter due to the increase of deaths from the coronavirus. But in 2023, average lifespans for both men and women surpassed those from the previous year for the first time in three years. The ministry says fewer people have died from heart illnesses, including heart attacks, while more died due to natural causes last year compared to 2023.