Life expectancy of S. Koreans inches up to 83.5 yrs in 2023: data

SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- The average life expectancy of South Korean babies born in 2023 inched up, rebounding after a decline in the previous year caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday.

The average life expectancy at birth last year came to 83.5 years, or 0.8 year longer than the 82.7 years recorded in 2022, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

Life expectancy in South Korea has shown a steady upward trend since the government began collecting related data in 1970, when the figure was just 62.3 years.

However, in 2022, life expectancy fell by 0.9 year, marking the first decline due to the pandemic's impact.

"Life expectancy has returned to an upward trajectory as the effects of COVID-19 have largely subsided," said Im Young-il, an official from the agency. "However, some lingering effects remain, leaving the 2023 figure 0.1 year lower compared to that of 2021."

Baby boys and girls born in 2023 are expected to live 80.6 years and 86.5 years, respectively.

The gender gap in life expectancy inched up 0.1 year to 5.9 years, the data showed.

South Korea's life expectancies for men and women were 2.2 years and 2.8 years longer, respectively, than the average of the 38 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

khj@yna.co.kr
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