Taiwan’s life expectancy reaches 81.27 years in 2025; excluding cancer deaths would add 3.7 years
Cancer accounted for 27.48% of all deaths in 2025, while most leading causes of death resulted in greater life expectancy losses for men than women.
【TAIPEI, Oct. 24】 Taiwan’s average life expectancy reached 81.27 years in 2025, according to the latest analysis by the Ministry of the Interior. Statistical modeling showed that excluding cancer deaths would raise the figure by 3.7 years to 84.97. Cancer remains one of Taiwan’s leading causes of death, and its impact on population life expectancy continues to draw attention from public health policymakers.
According to Focus Taiwan, the English-language service of the Central News Agency, the ministry used 2025 cause-of-death statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to compile abridged life tables excluding specific causes of death. The analysis estimated the impact of different causes on average life expectancy.
The statistics showed that cancer had remained Taiwan’s leading cause of death for 44 consecutive years. A total of 54,838 people died of cancer in 2025, accounting for 27.48% of all deaths. Under the statistical model, excluding cancer deaths would raise Taiwan’s average life expectancy from 81.27 to 84.97 years.
The Ministry of the Interior said excluding deaths from heart disease would add 1.54 years to average life expectancy, while excluding pneumonia deaths would add 1.13 years. These figures reflect the statistical impact of different causes of death on population life expectancy; they do not mean that avoiding a particular disease would necessarily extend an individual’s life by the same number of years.
Notably, cancer’s impact on average life expectancy has declined slightly over the past decade. The gap between actual average life expectancy and life expectancy excluding cancer deaths narrowed from 4.10 years in 2015 to 3.70 years in 2025.
In terms of gender differences, the ministry said that, among the 10 leading causes of death in 2025, most resulted in greater losses in average life expectancy for men than for women, with diabetes, hypertensive diseases and kidney-related diseases being the exceptions. For accidental injuries, for example, the average life expectancy loss was 0.75 years for men, compared with 0.36 years for women. The differences may be associated with occupational risks, biological factors, diet, health management and lifestyle habits.
Public health experts commonly use cause-of-death life expectancy analyses to assess which diseases have the greatest impact on population health. The data can inform cancer prevention, early screening, the allocation of medical resources and health promotion policies, but cannot by itself determine the effectiveness of any individual medical intervention.
As the population ages, efforts to improve the early detection of cancer, expand access to treatment and reduce deaths from preventable diseases and accidents will continue to influence Taiwan’s health policies and life expectancy trends.