The average life expectancy of Japanese people increased in 2023 for the first time in three years, government data showed Friday, rebounding from a period of decline due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The average life expectancy of women in Japan stood at 87.14, up 0.05 from 2022, while for men it was 81.09, up 0.04, according to data by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Japan maintained its top position globally for life expectancy among women, followed by Switzerland at 85.9 years and France at 85.75 years.
Meanwhile, in the global ranking for men by country, Japan dropped from fourth place to fifth, with Switzerland remaining at the top at 82.3 years, followed by Sweden at 81.58 years and Norway at 81.39 years.
Roughly 38,000 people in Japan died from the coronavirus in 2023, around 10,000 less than the previous year.
The probability that women born in 2023 will die due to the virus in the future is 2.37 percent, while it is 2.64 percent for men, the ministry said in an assessment. Both figures dropped from above 3 percent marked the previous year.
The ministry also projected that 41.26 percent of females born in 2023 and 46.47 percent of males will die of cancer, heart disease or cerebrovascular disease, down from the previous year for both genders.
Meanwhile, the probability of dying from old age continued to trend upward, hitting 19.61 percent for women and 7.93 percent for men.
Japanese average life expectancy peaked in 2020, at 87.71 years for women and 81.56 years for men.
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