Life expectancy in Taiwan reaches record 80.2 years

Staff writer, with CNA





Life expectancy reached a record high of 80.2 years last year, up from 79.84 years in 2014, according to statistics released yesterday by the Ministry of the Interior.

Last year, the life expectancy of Taiwanese males averaged 77.01, while that of females reached 83.62, both of which were record highs, the statistics showed.

The ministry predicted that 81 percent of males and 92 percent of females would live past the age of 65.

Half of the males will live longer than 80 years, while half of the females will live longer than 85 years, the statistics showed.

Upon reaching the age of 65, Taiwanese men and women tend to live for a further 18.15 and 21.7 years respectively, they showed.

Compared with data from the US and European nations, ministry data show that the life expectancy for Taiwanese men is closest to their American and German counterparts, but lower than other advanced European nations, Department of Statistics Director Peng Hsien-ming (彭賢明) said.

The average lifespan for Taiwanese women is three years higher than that of American women, and close to that their Canadian, British, German and French counterparts, Peng said.

Compared with neighboring Asian nations, the life expectancy in Taiwan is lower than in Japan, South Korea and Singapore, but higher than in China, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The lifespan of Taipei residents reached an average 83.43 years last year, the highest among all the nation’s cities and counties, the statistics showed.

On average, people in northern and western Taiwan live longer than people in the south and east of the nation, due to factors such as lifestyle and access to medical care.

Over the past 10 years, the life expectancy of male infants increased by 0.25 years per year, while that of female infants increased by 0.28 years per year, Peng said, adding that the life expectancy of Taiwanese is expected to continue to rise.