Posted on WALL STREET JOURNAL on May 16, 2014 by Jun Hongo
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/05/16/japan-tops-life-expectancy-who/

Ayako Wakasu, 94, smiles as her glasses are adjusted by a staff member at a day care facility. Life expectancy for Japanese women is now 87 years. — Bloomberg News

People across the globe are living longer than ever, and Japan is at the top of the list.

That’s according to the World Health Statistics 2014 report, released Thursday by the World Health Organization.

Life expectancy for Japanese women in 2012 was 87 years, longest in the world. Japan also ranked eighth in life expectancy for men with 80 years, and overall life expectancy of Japanese increased from 79 years in 1990 to 84 years in 2012, also first in the world.

The country with the lowest life expectancy was Sierra Leone with 46 years.

Global average life expectancy for 2012 was 73 years for women and 68 years for men, both six years longer than 1990.

WHO attributed the gains to a decrease in the number of children who die before they turn 5.

While a long life expectancy is a cause for celebration, Japan is also suffering from a birth dearth that has made society skew older. Government statistics released last month showed that more than 25% of the population is now over 65 years old.

Original Article:  WALL STREET JOURNAL  Japan Real Time
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/05/16/japan-tops-life-expectancy-who/