The Life expectancy at birth in China attained a value of 78.50 years in 2024
The indicator recorded a historical growth (CAGR) of 0.34% between 2021 to 2024, and is expected to grow by...
GlobalData projects the figure to grow at a CAGR of ...
Life expectancy in a country depends on multiple factors including healthcare, lifestyle, resources and even culture. Since 2018, the life expectancy for female has increased slightly. In 2021, the life expectancy of females was 81 years. In 2021, the life expectancy of the total population was 77 years, whereas for males it was 75 years, and 81 years for females. However, the life expectancy for men has decreased slightly over the years.
Growing Population in China
A longstanding problem in China is its growing population. While the adoption of the one-child policy resulted in slower population growth, it also led to an increasingly aging population. This is due in part to improvements in life expectancy over the years. With the official approval of the two-child policy in 2016 and government incentives for the additional child, the birth rate is expected to increase in the medium to long-term. Other major problems faced by Chinese society include its highly skewed gender ratio in favor of males, which could potentially lead to an increase in sexual violence and human trafficking, among other crimes.
Increased Life Expectancy and Decreased Infant Mortality
China’s average life expectancy rose from 68 years in 1990 and reached 77 years in 2021. The infant mortality rate dropped from 42.7 deaths per 1,000 births in 1990 to 11.4 deaths per 1,000 births by 2020.
Gender Imbalance
Gender imbalance is a serious problem affecting Chinese society. According to the ‘Chinese Statistical Yearbook 2019’, there were 113.91 boys in the 0–4 year age group for every 100 girls in 2018. As of April 2021, the gender ratio stands at 112 boys per 100 girls. The gender ratio stood at 104.2 in 2020. The gender ratio among children between 10 and 14 years stood at 119.10 males per 100 females in 2019, followed by 118.39 males per 100 females for those between 15 and 19 years of age. In 2019, Sichuan province had the highest aging population in China, as it had the largest outflow of young laborers to other provinces.
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