Data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Dec. 3 said average life expectancy of newborns at birth last year inched up two-tenths of a year from 2023 to a record-high 83.7. (iClick) *This photo is protected under copyright law and unauthorized reproduction and redistribution are strictly prohibited.

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

Life expectancy of newborns at birth last year reached a record-high 83.7 years.

Data released on Dec. 3 by the Ministry of Data and Statistics found that the figure rose two-tenths of a year each for boys (80.8 years) and girls (86.6). The gender gap of 5.8 years also showed a gradual decline from the all-time high of 8.6 in 1985.

Park Hyun-jung, head of the ministry's Vital Statistics Division, said, "Mortality rates for men due to accidents or liver disease are falling."

The country's life expectancy was also higher than that of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The figure for Korean men was 78.5 years, 2.3 more than the OECD average, and women 83.7, or 2.9 longer.

Korean women also ranked third among the OECD's 38 member states in life expectancy after Japan (87.1) and Spain (86.7). Korean men ranked 11th.

dusrud21@korea.kr