Vietnam’s average life expectancy at birth has increased by 1.1 years compared to 2019, according to the newly released 2024 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census Report by the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Vietnam's average life expectancy reached 74.7 years last year, with women living an average of 77.3 years and men 72.3 years.

The rise in life expectancy was more pronounced for men, increasing by 1.3 years, compared to a one-year increase for women.

Which region has the highest life expectancy?

Statistics indicate that urban dwellers tend to live longer than those in rural areas.

In urban areas, women have an average life expectancy of 79.5 years while their rural counterparts live up to 77 years.

For men, the average life expectancy is 74.3 years in cities and 71.9 years in rural areas.

Among Vietnamese localities, the southeast region has the highest life expectancy. Here, men live an average of 73.9 years, while women reach 79.2 years.

In the Red River Delta and Mekong Delta, life expectancy is also relatively high. In the Red River Delta, women live up to 78.7 years and men live up to 73.3 years. In the Mekong Delta, women reach 78.3 years and men reach 73.4 years.

Surprisingly, the province with the highest average life expectancy is not one of Vietnam’s major centrally governed cities, such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, or Da Nang, but rather Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, where men have an average lifespan of 74.2 years and women live up to 79.4 years.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Dong Nai Province, women also have a high average life expectancy of 79.3 years. Meanwhile, men in Hanoi and Dong Nai have an average life expectancy of 74.1 years.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Lai Chau ranks as the province with the lowest life expectancy in the country. Men in Lai Chau have the lowest life expectancy in the country at 62.9 years while women live an average of 68.9 years.

Following closely behind is Dien Bien, where men have an average life expectancy of 67 years, and Kon Tum, where men live 67.1 years. Among women, those in Dien Bien live up to 72.8 years, while those in Kon Tum reach 72.9 years.

The gap in life expectancy between provinces is notable. Women in Ba Ria-Vung Tau (79.4 years) live 10.5 years longer than those in Lai Chau (68.9 years).

For men, the gap is even wider -- those in Ba Ria-Vung Tau (74.2 years) outlive those in Lai Chau (62.9 years) by 11.3 years.

Men are more likely to die from accidents, suicide

The report also highlights that the majority (92.4 percent) of deaths recorded in the 12 months preceding the census were due to illness or old age.

Among accidental deaths, traffic accidents were the leading cause, occurring at more than twice the rate of workplace accidents, 3.3 percent against 1.3 percent.

Men are significantly more likely to die from accidents than women, with the mortality rate from all types of accidents three times higher, 8.6 percent vs. 2.8 percent.

This pattern holds across both urban and rural areas and in various socio-economic regions.

The Central Highlands records the highest proportion of deaths, 6.3 percent, caused by traffic accidents.

The suicide rate among men is also more than twice as high as among women, one percent vs. 0.4 percent.

Again, the Central Highlands has the highest percentage of suicide cases, 3.7 percent, while the southeast and Mekong Delta regions have the lowest, 0.5 percent.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on X to get the latest news about Vietnam!