Average life expectancy in Taiwan is 77.3 years for men and 83.7 years for women, the highest on record, the Ministry of the Interior’s “Abridged Life Tables for 2017” released yesterday showed.
Life expectancy in Taiwan is higher than the global average of 68.6 years for men and 73.6 years for women, albeit lower than Japan’s 81.1 years for men and 87.3 years for women, the ministry said.
The national average life expectancy last year inclusive of both sexes was 80.4 years, up from 78.4 years in 2007, it said.
The rising life expectancy in Taiwan is likely the result of improved medical care, food standards, quality of life and prevalence of exercise, it said.
Taipei has the highest average life expectancy in the nation at 83.6 years, while Taitung County has the lowest at 75.5 years, more than five years below the national average, it said.
In the six special municipalities, Taipei’s 83.6 years is followed by New Taipei City’s 81.2, Taoyuan’s 80.8, Taichung’s 80.3, Tainan’s 79.7 and Kaohsiung’s 79.1.
Excluding the six special municipalities, Hsinchu City has the highest life expectancy at 80.2 years.
Overall, regional lifespans tend to be longer in the north and west, while shorter in the south and east, the ministry said.
The statistical correlation between economic development and life expectancy likely reflects the superior access to medical care enjoyed by residents in the north, it said.
Lifestyle and dietary habits might also account for the difference in the geographical distribution of life expectancy across the nation, it said.
According to a UN report for last year, male life expectancy is highest in Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Spain and Australia, while female life expectancy is highest in Japan, Spain, South Korea, Singapore and France.
Japan has the highest life expectancy inclusive of both sexes, the UN said.
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