Children born last year are expected to live to an average age of 83.7. Life expectancy has increased again since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has been shown that the life expectancy of Koreans greatly exceeds the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average.
According to the “2024 Life Table” published by the National Data Service on the 3rd, the life expectancy of children born in 2024 was 83.7 years, an increase of 0.2 years over the previous year. Life expectancy has been increasing steadily since statistics were compiled in 1970, then declined for a while in 2022 due to the impact of COVID-19, but has continued to increase since then.
In terms of gender, the life expectancy for men born last year was 80.8 years, and for women, 86.6 years. Compared to the previous year, there was an increase of 0.2 years for both men and women. Compared to 2014, which is 10 years ago, the number for men increased by 2.2 years and the number for women increased by 1.6 years.
The life expectancy gap between men and women was 5.8 years. Women still live longer than men, but the gap has been declining steadily since peaking at 8.6 in 1985.
Life expectancy in Korea is high compared to major developed countries. Compared to the average life expectancy in OECD member countries (78.5 years for men and 83.7 years for women), it was found that Korean men lived 2.3 years longer and women lived 2.9 years longer.
Life expectancy, which is the future survival period for those who have already been born and survived, has also increased. As of 2024, a 40-year-old man is expected to survive for the next 41.9 years and a further 47.4 years for women. This is an increase of 0.2 years, respectively, compared to the previous year.
At age 60, men are expected to survive for 23.7 years and women for 28.4 more years. In particular, the life expectancy of a 60-year-old man was 1.1 years longer than the OECD average, and 2.1 years longer for women.
As a result of analyzing the causes of future deaths of children born in 2024, the probability of death due to cancer was the highest at 19.5%. This was followed by pneumonia (10.2%), heart disease (10.0%), and cerebrovascular disease (6.9%). The probability of death due to cancer and pneumonia increased compared to the previous year, but the probability of dying from COVID-19 was 1.1%, less than half of the previous year (2.4%).
What is noteworthy is the effect of extending life when the main cause of death is eliminated due to the development of medical technology. It is estimated that if the cancer is removed, the life expectancy of children born in 2024 will increase by 3.3 years. It was predicted that if heart disease was eliminated, there would be a lifespan extension effect of 1.2 years, and if pneumonia was eliminated, it would extend life by 1.0 year.
Excluding the period of illness, which is the “period of healthy living,” which is as important as living a long time, life expectancy was 65.5 years. Of the total life expectancy (83.7 years), about 18.2 years means being sick due to illness or accident.
? [Breaking News] A child born last year lives until age 83.7... male 80.8, female 86.6
