"Babies Born in 2019 Expected to Live 83.3 Years"... Decrease in Life Expectancy for Men and Women

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] It has been found that a child born in 2019 is expected to live an average of 83.3 years. Although women generally have a higher life expectancy than men, the gap is showing a decreasing trend.

According to the "2019 Life Table" released by Statistics Korea on the 1st, the life expectancy of newborns in 2019 was 83.3 years, an increase of 0.6 years compared to the previous year.

By gender, men have a life expectancy of 80.3 years and women 86.3 years, with women living longer than men, but the difference is decreasing. Male life expectancy increased by 0.5 years from the previous year, and female life expectancy increased by 0.6 years. Since it widened to 8.6 years in 1985, the gap has been steadily decreasing.

Last year, the life expectancy of men and women in South Korea was higher than the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). South Korean men’s life expectancy was 2.2 years higher than the OECD average of 78.1 years. Women’s life expectancy was 2.9 years higher than the OECD average of 83.4 years.

However, as of 2017, Japan’s life expectancy for men and women was higher than South Korea’s, with men at 81.1 years and women at 87.3 years.

The leading cause of death was cancer. According to the report, the probability that a child born in 2019 will die from cancer in the future was estimated at 21.1%. This was followed by heart disease at 11.7%, pneumonia at 10.2%, and cerebrovascular disease at 7.6%.

Compared to the previous year, the probability of death increased the most from cancer for men and from Alzheimer's disease for women.

If cancer were eliminated, life expectancy would increase by 3.7 years. Additionally, if heart disease were eliminated, life expectancy would increase by 1.4 years, and if pneumonia were eliminated, it would increase by 1.0 year.

South Korea’s life expectancy at age 65 was higher than the OECD average by 1.0 year for men and 2.0 years for women. The life expectancy of 80-year-old survivors was 0.0 years higher for men and 0.8 years higher for women compared to the OECD average.

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