73.4 Years for Men, 80.4 for Women


By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter


South Korea’s overall life expectancy reached 77 years in 2002, up 5.28 years from 1991, thanks to improvements in health care and nutrition, and a rising interest in maintaining good health.

However, Korea’s average life expectancy is lower than other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.



According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) Monday, average life expectancy was 73.4 years for Korean men and 80.4 years for women in 2002, up 5.64 and 4.52 years from 11 years ago.

Previously, life expectancy for men stood at 72.8 years in 2001, after gradually rising to 71.7 in 1999 from 69.6 in 1995. Women’s life expectancy topped 80 years for the first time in 2001, after 79.2 in 1999 and 77.4 in 1995.

Males 65 years old in 2002 were expected to live 14.8 more years, while females of the same age were forecast to continue their lives by 18.7 more years, according to the NSO.

Those 45 years old in 2002 were estimated to have another 30.8 years for males and 36.9 years for females on average, while males and females of the age of 15 were likely to live 59.1 more years and 66.1 more years, respectively.

The probability of living to the age of 80 was 41 percent for 50-year-old males and 64 percent for females of the same age in 2002.

For newborn infants in 2002, cancer was named the No. 1 cause of death. About 26.6 percent of men and 14.4 percent of women were projected to die of cancer.

If the cancer factor is eliminated, the lifespan of infants is expected to extend by five years for males and 2.5 years for females.

Cancer, respiratory diseases and accidents were expected to be the causes of death for 57.7 percent of men and 44.8 percent of women.

Korean men aged 25 were likely to work for 34.5 years in 2002, while women of the same age were forecast to participate in economic activities for 23.1 years.

International comparison of average life expectancy is not possible as each country surveyed a different time period.

However, average life expectancies of South Korean males and females were shorter than their counterparts in the 30 member nations of the OECD.

The OECD averages were 74.7 years for males and 80.4 years for females in 2002.

Japan topped the life expectancy lists for both men at 78.3 years and women at 85.2 years, according to the NSO.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr