SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The life expectancy for South Korean newborns continued to rise for the 51st consecutive year in 2021, statistical office data showed on Tuesday.

The average life expectancy at birth came to 83.6 years in 2021, slightly up from 83.5 years recorded in the previous year, according to Statistics Korea.

It marked the lowest yearly gain in three years amid the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, but the life expectancy kept going up since relevant data began to be compiled in 1970.

Male and female babies born last year were expected to live 80.6 years and 86.6 years, respectively. The gender gap continued to narrow down after peaking at 8.6 years in 1985.

The 40-year-old men and women in 2021 were forecast to live 41.7 years and 47.4 years more each, while the 60-year-old men and women were estimated to have the remaining life expectancy of 23.5 years and 28.4 years.

A possibility that the 2021 newborns could die of cancer marked the highest 20.1 percent, followed by heart disorders with 11.0 percent, pneumonia with 8.8 percent and cerebrovascular diseases with 7.2 percent.

Life expectancies for South Korean men and women were 2.9 years and 3.5 years each longer than those of the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member states. Enditem

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