[News Terms] Babies Born Last Year Live Up to 83.6 Years... What Does 'Life Expectancy' Mean?

Life Expectancy for Babies Born in 2021: 83.6 Years... Male 80.6 Years, Female 86.6 Years

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[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] It is projected that children born last year will live an average of over 83 years. Both men and women have life expectancies longer than the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with women's life expectancy being more than 3 years longer than the OECD average.

According to the life table released by Statistics Korea on the 6th, the life expectancy of children born last year was found to be 83.6 years. By gender, men were 80.6 years and women were 86.6 years. Compared to 10 years ago, men’s life expectancy increased by 3.4 years, and women’s by 2.6 years.

A life table is a statistical table that estimates how long a person of a certain age can expect to live if the current age-specific mortality rates are maintained. It is compiled and published annually by Statistics Korea. The life table is created based on death report data submitted to administrative welfare centers in towns, townships, and neighborhoods nationwide, as well as city and district offices, with adjustments made for delayed death reports and unknown ages.

The life table shows the average remaining life expectation for a person of a specific age. For example, as of 2021, the average remaining life expectancy for a 60-year-old man is 23.5 years, and for a woman, it is 28.4 years.

In particular, the average remaining life expectancy of newborns at age 0 is also called "life expectancy." Life expectancy has increased every year since related statistics began in 1970. It was 62.3 years in 1970, increased to 70.1 years in 1987, and reached 80.0 years in 2009.

However, last year’s life expectancy increased by only 0.1 years compared to the previous year. This is the smallest increase since 2018, when a record cold wave occurred (0.05 years increase), and is attributed to the impact of the spread of COVID-19.

Also, when comparing South Korea’s life expectancy with the OECD member country average (77.7 years), men’s life expectancy was 2.9 years higher and women’s was 3.5 years higher. The country with the highest male life expectancy was Switzerland (81.9 years), and for females, it was Japan (87.7 years). The difference in life expectancy between men and women (6.0 years) was 0.6 years higher than the OECD average (5.4 years).