The average life expectancy for Japanese women is 87.13 years

The Nikkei Shimbun reported on July 25th, citing simplified life tables released by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, that the average life expectancy for Japanese people in 2024 will be 87.13 years for women and 81.09 years for men, essentially the same as the previous year. The average life expectancy for women decreased by 0.01 years, while it remained unchanged for men. In terms of national rankings, Japanese women have held the highest life expectancy in the world for 40 consecutive years.

A Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare official stated, “Death rates from heart disease and COVID-19 infection have decreased, while those from aging and pneumonia have increased.”

Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy in Japan declined for two consecutive years in 2021 and 2022, before increasing in 2023. The complete life tables, based on the population determined by the census and produced every five years, show that in 2020, the average life expectancy for Japanese women was 87.71 years and for men was 81.56 years, setting new records for both sexes.

In terms of national rankings, the average life expectancy for Japanese men dropped from fifth to sixth place. South Korea’s female life expectancy ranks second (86.4 years), and Spain ranks third (86.34 years). For men, Sweden ranks first (82.29 years), Switzerland ranks second (82.2 years), and Norway ranks third (81.59 years).

The projected mortality rate for Japanese born in 2024 from cancer, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease is 40.29% for women and 45.41% for men, both of which have decreased from the previous year. The mortality rate from aging is 20.75% for women and 8.39% for men. The mortality rate from pneumonia is 4.35% for women and 5.89% for men.