Taipei: Taiwan's average life expectancy reached 81.27 in 2025, marking an increase from 80.77 in the previous year, with Taipei recording the highest average life expectancy at 83.98, according to the Ministry of the Interior (MOI).
According to Focus Taiwan, despite the increase, Taiwan's national average life expectancy has not yet surpassed the pre-COVID-19 peak of 81.32 recorded in 2020. However, the average life expectancy in Taiwan remains higher than the global average of 73.5 in 2025. The MOI reported a decrease in the number of deaths for the third consecutive year in 2025, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to diminish, with 199,639 deaths recorded, down 1,674 from the previous year. Among these, 151,936 deaths occurred in individuals aged 65 or older, comprising 76.1 percent of the national total.
The MOI indicated that the average crude death rate declined by 0.005 percentage points from the previous year, settling at 0.885 percent in 2025. During this period, the average life expectancy for women in Taiwan increased by 0.45 years to 84.75, while for men, it rose by 0.51 years to 77.93. The average life expectancy for women returned to the pre-COVID-19 peak of 84.74 in 2020, but the average for men remained below the 2020 peak of 78.11.
According to the MOI, the life expectancy for both women and men in Taiwan exceeded the global averages of 76.2 years and 70.9 years, respectively. In Taipei, the average life expectancy rose from 83.40 in 2024 to 83.98 in 2025, maintaining its status as the highest in Taiwan, followed by Hsinchu City at 82.13 years and New Taipei City at 81.54 years.
Taitung County reported the lowest average life expectancy at 76.49 years, being the only administrative area in Taiwan with an average below 77 years. In 2025, Taipei also recorded the highest life expectancy for women at 86.74 years, surpassing Hsinchu City, which stood at 85.20 years. For men, Taipei led with an average life expectancy of 81.10 years, followed by Hsinchu City at 79.10 years.
The MOI's statistics excluded Kinmen County and Lienchiang County due to significant population outflow and other factors.