Vietnamese life expectancy increases sharply, where do people live the longest?

The General Statistics Office has just released the 2023 Statistical Yearbook, which recorded a sharp increase in the life expectancy of Vietnamese people over the past year.

According to preliminary published data, in 2023, the average life expectancy at birth of Vietnamese people will reach 74.5 years, an increase of nearly 1 year compared to 2022. Of which, Vietnamese men will increase by 1 year, and women will increase by 0.8 years.

Continuously from 2019 to 2022, the average life expectancy of Vietnamese people fluctuated from 73.6 to 73.7 years; Vietnamese women lived about 5.3 years longer than men. In 2023 alone, the life expectancy of Vietnamese women increased to 77.2 years, while that of men also increased to 72.1 years.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan assessed that "Vietnamese people's life expectancy is higher than many countries with the same per capita income."

Also according to data from the General Statistics Office, urban residents have a higher life expectancy than rural residents, at 76.8 and 74.3 years, respectively. Notably, for many consecutive years, urban residents' life expectancy has not increased much while rural residents' life expectancy has increased by 1.6 years in 4 years, from 72.7 (2020) to 74.3 (2023).

By region, the Southeast (such as Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai...) is the region with the highest life expectancy in the country (76.3 years old), the lowest is the Central Highlands: 72 years old. The Red River Delta (such as Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh,...) has an average life expectancy of 75.7 (0.5 years higher than last year).

By locality, Ho Chi Minh City is the locality with the highest life expectancy in the country. with 76.5 years old; followed by Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Dong Nai, with 76.4 and 76.3 years old respectively. Hanoi residents have an average life expectancy of 76.1 - high compared to the national average.

Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Kon Tum are the three provinces with the lowest life expectancy in the country, at 69.9 - 69.8 and 69.7 respectively. However, compared to 2022, the life expectancy of these three provinces in 2023 has increased significantly. For example, the life expectancy of Kon Tum people increased by 1.7 years (from 68 to 69.7); Dien Bien increased by 1.5 years (from 68.4 to 69.9), higher than the national average increase.

Reasons why the number of years Vietnamese people live with illness is still high

Experts estimate that life expectancy has increased partly due to better living conditions and social life, but another important factor is the constant progress of medicine and health care.

However, it is worth noting that the Ministry of Health stated that although Vietnamese people have a higher life expectancy than other countries in the region, the number of years living with illness is higher. This agency assessed that the number of healthy years of Vietnamese people is still modest, only 65 years old.

On average, each Vietnamese person has to live with illness for 10 years. While health is a prerequisite for a positive life, each elderly Vietnamese person has 2-3 underlying diseases.

There are many factors that contribute to the high number of years of living with illness among Vietnamese people. In addition to nutrition, unhealthy lifestyles and environmental pollution, there is also an increase in non-communicable diseases, commonly cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes.

Among the causes of non-communicable diseases, the two leading causes are smoking and overweight and obesity. The 2021 National Survey on Non-communicable Disease Risk Factors shows that although the smoking rate among men has decreased, it is still high, accounting for 41%; About 1/3 of the population has been exposed to cigarette smoke; nearly 30% of adult men drink alcohol at a harmful level.

At the same time, more than half of adults do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, people eat nearly twice as much salt as recommended; about one-fifth of the population lacks physical activity and the rate of overweight and obesity accounts for nearly 20% of the adult population.

In addition to subjective causes, climate change and extreme weather phenomena such as heat, drought, storms and floods... affect the health of many communities, contributing to an increase in hospitalizations.