Taiwan: Cancer remains major factor in life expectancy, says data
Oct 20, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], October 20 : The Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan presented the 2023 Table of Life on Saturday, indicating that the average life expectancy in the country would increase by 3.46 years if cancer were taken out of the data, the Taipei Times reported.
According to the ministry, it first calculated the average life expectancy without taking into account each of the top 10 causes of death, then compared it with the average life expectancy.
The difference in the data shows how significantly a cause of death influences average life expectancy, the Taipei Times reported.
The ministry further stated that cancer has been the leading cause of mortality for the past 42 years.
53,126 people died from cancer last year, making up roughly 25.84 per cent of the country's overall mortality rate, according to the report, Taipei Times stated.
It also stated that the average life expectancy rises to 83.69 years from 80.23 years when the average life expectancy of individuals dying from cancer is subtracted from the equation.
Notably, the ministry showed that there has been a decrease in the impact of cancer on average life expectancy, as seen by the difference in average life expectancy between the general population and those who are dying from the disease, which decreased from 4.19 years in 2013 to 3.46 years last year, the Taipei Times reported.
Meanwhile, pneumonia is the third leading cause of death in the country, with the average life expectancy of the general population decreasing from 1.06 years in 2021 for three consecutive years before rising back up to 0.94 years last year, according to the report.
According to the ministry, men's mortality rates are higher than women's for cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease, COVID-19, accidents, and chronic lower respiratory illnesses, the Taipei Times reported.
However, it was stated that women die from diabetes, diseases linked to hypertension, nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and other illnesses affecting the kidneys more frequently than men do.
