Babies born in 2026 to live until 75.5 on average, says statistics dept

The Malaysian statistics department predicts that babies born in 2026 will have an average life expectancy of 75.5 years. According to their Abridged Life Tables Malaysia 2024-2026 report, females are expected to live for 78.1 years on average, which is 4.9 years longer than males whose life expectancy is 73.2 years. Selangor had the highest life expectancy at birth during the 2024 to 2026 period at 78.2 years, while Terengganu recorded the lowest at 71.3 years.

Three states - Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Labuan - had life expectancies above the national average of 75.5 years in 2026. From 2019 to 2026, life expectancy at birth increased by 0.4 years for both males and females. However, a decrease of 0.9 years was observed in 2022, with both genders experiencing a decline in life expectancy compared to 2020.

The department attributes the increase in life expectancy from 2023 to 2026 to a lower number of deaths during this period, which was largely due to excess mortality during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2026, males aged 15 and 60 are expected to live for 59 and 18.9 more years, respectively, while females aged 15 and 60 are projected to live for an additional 63.7 and 21.7 years, with life expectancies of 78.7 and 81.7 years.