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Life expectancy for Korean women eighth highest worldwide

May 16, 2014
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A scene from a hit Korean movie “Miss Granny.” According to the WHO, Korean women have the eighth highest life expectancy in the world, (Yonhap)

Korean women have the eighth highest life expectancy in the world, according to a new report by the World Health Organization.

Global life expectancy is 73 years for girls and 68 for boys born in 2012, WHO said in its annual World Health Statistics report released on Thursday.

According to the report, life expectancy overall in both males and females has grown amongst all countries, with low-income countries gaining nine years for both males and females and high-income countries gaining 4.8 years for males and 3.7 years for females since 1990.

In Korea, life expectancy is 84.6 years for women and 78 years for men. In 1990, women were expected to live 76 years and men 68 years, making the rise in Korea’s life expectancy the highest of any country with a combined 9.2 years.

Meanwhile, North Korean women are expected to live 73 years and men 66 years.

Iceland’s men hold the highest life expectancy at 81.2 years, followed by Switzerland at 80.7 years, Australia at 80.5 years and Israel and Singapore at 80.2 years.

For women, Japan ranks highest at 87 years, followed by Spain, Switzerland and Singapore at 85.1 years.

The average age of Koreans is 39 years, the report said. Eighty three percent of Korea’s population lives in a city.