Hong Kong Life Expectancy: Why It Is the Highest in the World

Hong Kong life expectancy: the latest figures

Life expectancy at birth is the number of years a baby born today would live if current death rates stayed the same. Hong Kong's figure has risen by about 15 years for men and 13 years for women since 1971.

Sources: Centre for Health Protection (1971, 2025), Census and Statistics Department (2016), Department of Health, Health Facts of Hong Kong 2025 Edition (2024). The 2022 figures fell because of high COVID-19 deaths and rebounded in 2023.

Hong Kong vs Japan: longevity compared

Life expectancy figures for both come from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 2025 life tables, which list Hong Kong at two decimals. The smoking surveys use different age groups and definitions, so compare them with care.

Why do people in Hong Kong live so long?

A University of Hong Kong study in The Lancet Public Health (2021) compared Hong Kong with 18 long-living, high-income countries using 263 million deaths. It found that Hong Kong has had the world's highest life expectancy at birth since 2013, and that from 1979 to 2016 it gained a survival advantage of 1.86 years for men and 2.50 years for women. The main reasons were:

• Fewer deaths from heart disease and stroke. Lower cardiovascular mortality added 1.22 years for men and 1.19 years for women, the largest single factor.

• Low smoking. Hong Kong had the lowest smoking-related death rate among high-income regions (39.7 per 100,000 in 2016). Lower smoking-related deaths explained 50.5% of the advantage for men and 34.8% for women. Daily cigarette smoking fell further, to 8.5% of people aged 15 and over in 2025.

• Less cancer in women and fewer road deaths in men. Lower cancer mortality added 0.47 years for women, and fewer transport accidents added 0.27 years for men.

The authors sum it up as fewer diseases of poverty combined with fewer diseases of affluence: economic growth without the high smoking rates seen in other rich countries.

Environment: easy living

Hong Kong has an environment designed to help people live healthier lives and make healthier choices. Hong Kong is a highly urbanized city with well-designed neighbourhoods, plenty of access to nature, walking trails, and outdoor activities to maintain activity levels. A convenient public transportation system and a magnitude of options on how to get around give people choices, and the compactness of the city often allow for the ability to walk to your destination.

Most of the districts in Hong Kong are members of the WHO global network of age-friendly cities. “In an age-friendly community, policies, services and structures related to the physical and social environment are designed to support and enable older people to “age actively”, that is, to live in security, enjoy good health and continue to participate fully in society.”

Some pillars of this “Active Ageing” principle include participation such as barrier-free spaces, accessible public transportation, health such as social support and outreach, activities and programmes to promote health and well-being, and security and independence such as appropriate employment opportunities and accessible, affordable housing. (Source: WHO)

Also, some experts classify the subtropical climate as an advantage for Hong Konger’s siting death stats in the UK and US, for example, where extreme weather causes thousands of deaths each year. However, as climate change encroaches, what sort of stats will we face as the weather changes in the future?

Conversely, we will likely see a change in the death rates due to the notorious pollution issues Hong Kong faces. Pollution is known as the silent killer causing diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, and strokes, killing an estimated 7 million people every year. (Source: WHO)

Diet & health

Some researchers say that even though Hong Kong is seemingly unhealthy, consumes a diet similar to the "Mediterranean diet". Hong Kong is uniquely surrounded by ocean and land, which enables greater access to fish, fruits, and vegetables, which are found in the local cuisine. Rice, nut oils, and a combination of meat and vegetables provide whole diets.

Diet is not a clear advantage today. In the government's Population Health Survey 2020 to 2022, 97.9% of people aged 15 and over ate fewer than 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and 24.8% of adults did not get enough physical activity. Cancer remains the leading cause of death: it caused 15,067 of the 52,366 registered deaths in 2024. In 2023, Hong Kong recorded 37,953 new cancer cases; the most common were lung (6,111), breast (5,603) and colorectal cancer (5,467).

Fortunately, Hong Kong provides suitable sanitation standards and clean water, which are also urban factors that promote long life.

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Access to medical care

Hong Kong continues to strive for easy access to medical care for all, providing subsidized care through its public system and alternative options through its private system. In Hong Kong, you have options. Treatments for cancer, heart disease, and strokes are available, and the city proactively aims through various schemes to promote good health in their communities. Hong Kong has taken considerable steps to curb smoking rates, for example.

At the end of 2024 Hong Kong had 16,533 registered doctors, one for every 456 people, and 43 public hospitals and institutions plus 14 private hospitals. The population is ageing fast: 1.72 million of 7.52 million residents, or 22.8%, were 65 or older in mid 2024. For what this means for cover in later life, see 5 things to know about elderly health insurance and our guide to public hospital costs in Hong Kong.

Mental health

Care for the elderly is a priority; easy access to quality medical care in the various districts among the city is one of Hong Kong’s positive attributes at the moment. The elderly are often never left indoors; they are active and exposed to sunlight and get exercise, allowing for less isolation. Traditional ideas of family caring for the elderly and the growing popularity of domestic helpers all help in the general happiness and wellbeing of the elderly as well.

Even with these positive factors, it is estimated that one in three older adults have symptoms of depression. (Source: HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention)

The pension system and income security in Hong Kong are lacking, and often, the elderly must rely on their children for support, which can also affect mental health negatively.

Furthermore, with increased stress levels due to the current political instability and excessive working hours standard in many industries, is Hong Kong likely to see an effect in ranking in the future due to mental health?

Sources

• Centre for Health Protection, Life expectancy at birth, 1971 to 2025

• Department of Health, Health Facts of Hong Kong 2025 Edition

• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan), 2025 abridged life tables

• Ni MY et al., Understanding longevity in Hong Kong, The Lancet Public Health, 2021

• Census and Statistics Department, Thematic Household Survey Report No. 85 (smoking, 2025)

• Hong Kong Cancer Registry, Overview of Hong Kong Cancer Statistics of 2023

• https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/02/health/hong-kong-world-longest-life-expectancy-longevity-intl/index.html

• https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3034349/hong-kong-has-highest-life-expectancy-world-what