BEIJING (Kashmir English): China’s life expectancy reached 79 years in 2024, a 0.4-year increase from 2023, showing the Chinese people have a good lifestyle.
The nation also achieved the goals of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) ahead of schedule.
Life expectancy in eight provinces has surpassed 80 years, according to National Health Commission (NHC).
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, head of the National Health Commission (NHC), Lei Haichao also announced new initiatives to promote healthy lifestyles, mental health and weight management countrywide.
Lei made the announcement in response to media inquiries about the current health level of Chinese people, specifically regarding key areas of focus for promoting healthy lifestyles and the initiatives planned for the ongoing year.
Lei said globally, China ranks fourth among 53 middle- and high-income countries, according to statistics. When compared with the G20 countries, the average life expectancy still ranks 10th, indicating that even compared with high-income countries, China surpasses the life expectancy of 21 high-income countries.
Healthy China
The revelation also proves that the implementation of strategies such as Healthy China 2030 has had a direct effect on improving public health.
According to the NHC head, the average life expectancy of Chinese residents increased by 1.7 years in 2024 compared with 2019, marking a significant improvement over five years.
Furthermore, the gap in health levels among the 31 provinces across the country has been gradually narrowing, indicating improved health equity.
Much to the satisfaction of the Chinese officials, the three municipalities –Tianjin, Beijing, and Shanghai – as well as eight provinces, including Jiangsu, Shandong, and Zhejiang, have all surpassed an average life expectancy of 80 years.
Lei further said that the potential for further improvement in Chinese residents’ average life expectancy remains evident and highly expectable.
He told media that in terms of mental health services, by the end of the ongoing year, every city and prefecture will be able to establish a psychological or sleep clinic to provide more accessible mental health services to the public.
Lei also noted that in 2025, there will be a countrywide promotion of the use of the “12356” hotline to offer mental health services and support.
He further emphasized the promotion of the three-year campaign on enhancing the public’s weight management, initiative to cultivate a lifestyle and habits that encourage awareness of weight management, healthy eating and active participation in physical exercise across society.
