Life Expectancy in Japan

Japanese Life Expectancy Falls Below Previous Year

The average life expectancy of the Japanese people in 2021 is lower than the previous year for both men and women for the first time in 10 years.　　According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the average life expectancy of Japanese in 2021 was 81.47 years for men and 87.57 years for women.

It is the first time in 10 years since 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake affected the country that life expectancy fell below the previous year’s level.

Death rate affected by new strain of  COVID-19

The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) attributes the decrease in life expectancy to the increase in mortality caused by COVID-19.

The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 in 2021 exceeded 10,000 due to the epidemic of the “delta strain,” a mutant virus that can cause severe illness.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 increased about fivefold from 2020, pushing down the overall average life expectancy.　 The life expectancy of Japanese women is the highest in the world, and men’s is the third highest after Switzerland and Norway.