Japan’s health ministry has reported a decline in men’s healthy life expectancy in the latest survey, with figures from 2022 showing a drop to 72.57 years. This marks a decrease of 0.11 years compared to the 2019 survey. For women, however, the healthy life expectancy rose slightly to 75.45 years, an increase of 0.07 years.
The 2022 data represents the first health estimate taken after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in 2020, with officials acknowledging that the global health crisis likely played a role in the shortened life expectancy.
“Life expectancy overall has been affected by the pandemic,” a ministry spokesperson said. “As a result, we also believe healthy life expectancy was indirectly impacted.”
Healthy life expectancy, a key health indicator, is calculated every three years by the ministry’s research group. It is determined based on responses to the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions, where individuals indicating poor health are categorized as “unhealthy.”
In 2022, the gap between total life expectancy and healthy life expectancy was 8.49 years for men and 11.63 years for women. In 2019, these differences were slightly higher, with 8.73 years for men and 12.06 years for women, showing a modest narrowing of the disparity between genders over the past three years.
Regionally, Shizuoka Prefecture leads the country with the highest healthy life expectancy for both men and women, at 73.75 years and 76.68 years, respectively.
The health ministry plans to continue monitoring these trends every three years, offering crucial insights into the public’s overall health and well-being.
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