Life expectancy at birth in the Philippines is projected to show consistent improvement for both males and females from 2020 through 2035, The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Thursday.

The projections indicate a gradual increase in the average number of years a newborn is expected to live, based on prevailing mortality patterns, except in 2021, which was greatly affected by the Coronavirus disease 2019.

In 2020, males had an average life expectancy of 66.17 years, while females lived longer at 73.26 years, resulting in a male-female disparity of 7.09 years. By 2026, male life expectancy is projected to rise to 68.05 years, while female life expectancy will reach 74.60 years, slightly narrowing the differences by sex to 6.55 years.

The slow upward trend of life expectancy is expected to continue through 2035, with males projected to live up to 70.42 years and females up to 77.06 years. The gap between male and female life expectancy is projected to be 6.64 years, indicating that the difference in longevity between men and women will be nearly constant over time.

The National Capital Region (NCR) is expected to continue leading all regions in male life expectancy through 2035. Male life expectancy at birth in NCR is projected to increase from 72.09 years in 2020 to 75.31 years by 2035.

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) ranks second, with male life expectancy projected to rise from 71.65 years in 2020 to 74.95 years in 2035. Completing the top three, Cagayan Valley is projected to see male life expectancy grow from 68.88 years to 72.68 years over the same period.

Conversely, the regions with the lowest projected male life expectancy are also expected to see steady improvements. Soccsksargen is projected to remain the lowest, with male life expectancy rising from 61.79 years in 2020 to 66.68 years by 2035.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is projected to increase from 61.94 years to 66.81 years, while the Mimaropa Region is expected to grow from 62.82 years in 2020 to 67.56 years in 2035.

In 2020, NCR recorded the highest female life expectancy at birth at 79.42 years, followed closely by CAR at 78.94 years and Cagayan Valley at 76.15 years.

These regions are projected to maintain steady improvements over time. Female life expectancy in NCR is expected to rise to 80.25 years in 2025, 81.17 years in 2030, and 82.04 years by 2035.

Similarly, CAR is projected to increase from 79.80 years in 2025 to 80.82 years in 2030 and 81.70 years in 2035, while Cagayan Valley is expected to grow from 77.11 years in 2025 to 78.30 years in 2030 and reach 79.39 years by 2035. Philippine Statistics Authority