Life expectancy drops again in 2022 for second straight year in Japan

Earlier, the average life span for women was 87.09 years which was down by 0.49 of a year. Whereas, the average life span for men fell by 0.42 to 81.05 years

Tokyo: Owing to the Covid pandemic, the average life expectancy of Japanese people has declined in 2022 for the second straight year, according to the health ministry, reported Kyodo News.

Earlier, the average life span for women was 87.09 years which was down by 0.49 of a year. Whereas, the average life span for men fell by 0.42 to 81.05 years.

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According to recent data by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, over 47,000 people are dying due to the virus, Kyodo News reported.

Despite the continued decline, Japan’s life expectancy among women remained the longest globally and is followed by South Korea at 86.6 years and Spain at 85.83 years, the ministry added.

However, among men, Japan‘s global rank in life expectancy dropped from third position to fourth position.

Moreover, Switzerland ranked first at 81.6 years, with Sweden second at 81.34 years and Australia third at 81.30 years, reported Kyodo News Meanwhile, for the first time since 2010 and 2011, Japanese life expectancy fell for two straight years.

Officials from the ministry added that the second consecutive year of decline is ‘unusual’ but however said that this trend is not expected to continue. They further cited that there is a possibility that the figure will increase again following the lessened impact of Covid-19. Adding to that, nearly 47000 people in Japan died duper centring the second year of the Covid outbreak.

The ministry further assessed that assuming the mortality situation remains unchanged, the probability of women born in 2022 who will die due to the virus in future is 3.03 per cent and 3.28 per cent for men which makes it more than double the percentage calculated in 2021, according to Kyodo News. Moreover, the ministry anticipated that 42.10 per cent of females born in 2022 and 47.12 percent of males will die of cancer, heart disease or cerebrovascular disease.

Meanwhile, females will live longer on average by 5.07 years and males by 6.11 years in case the death has been caused due to anything other than cancer or any other diseases.