Average life expectancy in Taiwan last year rose to historic highs of 84 years for women and 77.5 years for men, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday.
The national average of 80.7 years, up from 78.6 years in 2008, was also higher than the global average, a 2018 life expectancy chart released by the ministry showed.
The ministry attributed the increased life expectancy to improved medical care, as well as a greater emphasis on food safety, better living quality and growing numbers of people exercising regularly.
While the national life expectancy was higher than the global average, it still lagged behind that of Japan, Switzerland, Spain and Singapore, the ministry said.
In term of deaths, the nation’s standardized mortality ratio is on the decline, the ministry said.
The standardized death rate last year stood at 4,115 per 100,000 people, down 2.2 percent from 2017, it said.
The nation registered 172,700 deaths, 672 more than in 2017, the ministry said.
The nation’s crude death rate —the total number of deaths per year per 1,000 people — stood at 0.00732, rising by 0.02 percentage points compared with 2017.
Taipei had the highest average life expectancy among the six special municipalities at 83.6 years, followed in descending order by New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.
Taipei also led in average life expectancy of both sexes, displaying an evident trend of northern Taiwan having a higher life expectancy in the nation and life expectancy rates dropping from north to south.
In other cities and counties, Hsinchu led with an average life expectancy of 81.1 years, while Taitung County came in last at 75.8 years, the ministry said.
The average life expectancy of cities and counties in eastern Taiwan was comparatively lower than that in the west by at least five years, due primarily to a lack of transportation and medical resources, the ministry said.
Difference in culture and lifestyle could be contributing factors, but the gap between the two is closing compared with a decade ago, it said.
The chart not only gives the government a more accurate gauge of life expectancy in the nation, but also an insight into average health status, the economy, social welfare and the nation’s competitiveness, the ministry said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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