As population grays, average life expectancy rises

The average life expectancy in China is expected to continue rising in coming years to reach 81.3 years in 2035, according to a recent study published by researchers in The Lancet Public Health, an international journal.

By 2035, women in China can expect to live 85.1 years on average, and men can expect to live 78.1 years, according to the study written by a group of researchers, including Zhou Maigeng, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers analyzed national and provincial mortality and population data from 1990 to 2019 to make their prediction.

The study added that the increase in life expectancy is projected to be the highest in the Tibet autonomous region for men, and in Guangdong province for women.

"Most of the projected gains in life expectancy occur among older people, especially women," the study stated.

China has made great progress in improving the overall health of its population in recent decades, with average life expectancy rising from less than 35 in 1949 to 74.8 in 2010 and 78.2 in 2021.

The study said that this continuous increase could also be associated with declines in fertility and reductions in infant mortality.

Fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and tumors resulting from public health advances, such as increased funding for health and improved access to healthcare, education and nutrition, as well as the narrowing of social inequality, have also contributed to rising life expectancy.