Japanese women again top life expectancy list

Japan's heath ministry says Japanese women in 2024 had the highest average life expectancy among countries that release data on the subject, topping the list for the 40th straight year.

The ministry says the average lifespan for Japanese women was 87.13 years, down by 0.01 years compared to the previous year, NHK reported.

The figure for Japanese men was 81.09 years, which remained the same as in 2023. Japanese men came in sixth place, behind countries such as Sweden, Switzerland and Norway.

Average life expectancies tended to become shorter due to the increase of deaths from the coronavirus. But in 2023, average lifespans for both men and women surpassed those from the previous year for the first time in three years.

The ministry says fewer people have died from heart illnesses, including heart attacks, while more died due to natural causes last year compared to 2023.