The latest global life expectancy rankings have been released, with Japan maintaining its position as the country with the highest average life expectancy for women for the 40th consecutive year, while Sweden leads in average life expectancy for men.
According to the latest data released by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on July 25, 2024, the average life expectancy for Japanese women was 87.13 years, making it the longest-lived population in the world despite a slight decrease of 0.01 years compared to the previous year.
Japanese men have an average life expectancy of 81.09 years, remaining unchanged from the previous year and ranking 6th globally.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the average life expectancy of the Japanese population decreased for two consecutive years in 2021 and 2022 but showed a slight increase in 2023.
A report from Nikkei Chinese Network cited a spokesperson from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare stating that while death rates from heart diseases and COVID-19 have declined, mortality rates from aging and pneumonia have increased.
In terms of female life expectancy, South Korea ranks second with an average of 86.4 years, followed by Spain at 86.34 years.
For male life expectancy, Sweden tops the list with 82.29 years, followed by Switzerland at 82.2 years and Norway at 81.59 years.
In the United States, data from 2023 shows that the average life expectancy for women is 81.1 years and for men is 75.8 years.
Additionally, according to the statistics released by the Ministry of the Interior in Taiwan for 2023, the average life expectancy for Taiwanese nationals is 83.74 years for women and 76.94 years for men.
As for China, due to consistent data falsification by the Chinese Communist Party and the concealment of pandemic death tolls, the true average life expectancy of the Chinese population remains unknown to the outside world. Reports circulating online earlier this year indicated a continuous decline in average life expectancy for Chinese men from 75.46 years to 69.9 years between 2021 and 2024, while women’s average life expectancy dropped from 80.93 years in 2019 to 78.5 years, sparking debates. However, the authorities swiftly denied these reports as rumors.
Overall, the global life expectancy rankings provide valuable insights into the health and longevity of populations worldwide, with Japan and Sweden leading the charts for women and men, respectively.