Life expectancy of Singapore's population rises in 2024, marking improvement over Covid-19 years
Life expectancy of Singapore residents rose by 0.9 years in the past decade, from 82.6 years in 2014 to 83.5 years in 2024. -- PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): The life expectancy at birth for Singapore residents in 2024 rose from both 2023 and a decade ago, said the Department of Statistics (DOS) on May 27.
The figure rose by 0.3 year from 83.2 years in 2023 to 83.5 years in 2024, according to the Report On The Complete Life Tables For Singapore Resident Population 2023-2024 published by the DOS.
The 2024 figure is also 0.9 year higher than 82.6 years in 2014.
The increase in 2024 follows a dip in life expectancy between 2020 and 2023, which was attributed to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures for 2024 are preliminary, and Singapore residents refer to both citizens and permanent residents.
Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a person may expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
Singapore has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. According to Professor Alex Cook of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore (NUS), this longevity can be attributed to several key factors: a high-quality healthcare system, easy access to medical care and generally healthier lifestyles among Singaporeans.
Prof Cook said: 'People in richer countries can afford healthier food, do less dangerous work and have more time for recreational exercise.'
While both genders enjoyed a longer life expectancy in the past decade, women have a longer life span compared with men.
The life expectancy at birth for women was 85.6 years in 2024, compared with 81.2 years for men.
Over the last decade, life expectancy for men improved by 0.9 year from 80.3 years in 2014, while female life expectancy improved by 0.8 year from 84.8 years in 2014.
Professor Jean Yeung, director of social sciences at the A*Star Institute for Human Development and Potential, said that all over the world, women live longer than men due to biological and societal factors. For example, studies have shown that on average, women visit the doctor earlier and more often than men, generally drink less alcohol, smoke less and pay more attention to having a healthy diet.
Prof Yeung, who is also a professor at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, added that there could also be a genetic reason why women live longer. For instance, the female hormone estrogen has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
The report by DOS said that life expectancies for 2020 to 2023 were affected by the higher mortality rates arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
For example, life expectancy at birth fell from 83.7 years in 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic upended the world in 2020, to 83.2 years in 2021 and 83 years in 2022.
In 2021, Singapore residents' life expectancy fell for the first time in history since such data became available more than 60 years ago, and this was due to higher mortality rates arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, The Straits Times previously reported.
DOS said that the life expectancies for 2020 to 2023 may not accurately represent the number of years that people can expect to live if mortality rates return to pre-pandemic levels.
A DOS spokeswoman told ST that the mortality rate among the resident population has fallen to levels comparable to that of 2019. This is reflected in the age-standardised death rate, which fell from 5.9 per 1,000 residents in 2022 to 5.3 in 2024.
The figure for pre-pandemic 2019 was 5.3. The age-standardised death rate is an indicator that allows for a fair comparison of mortality rates over time as it removes the effect of a rapidly ageing population.
Prof Cook said that life expectancy in Singapore dipped during the Covid-19 pandemic, though by much less than in other countries.
He added: 'Life expectancies are now growing again, at much the same rate as they were before the pandemic, by a few months each year. At this point, the effect of Covid-19 on mortality seems mostly to be historic.' - The Straits Times/ANN
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