In this file photo dated March 29, 2022, an elderly couple shops in a market in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / AFP)

HONG KONG – Life expectancy in Hong Kong dropped in 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic as respiratory diseases overtook cancer as the leading cause of death in the territory, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

The department said in its monthly statistics digest that life expectancy for males in Hong Kong fell from 83.2 years in 2021 to 80.7 years in 2022, and from 87.9 years to 86.8 years for females.

This drop in life expectancy was accompanied by a notable increase in the number of deaths in the city from 51,354 to 63,692, mainly due to the pandemic, with the standardized death rate increasing from 6.9 in 2021 to 8.4 in 2022.

In 2022, diseases of the respiratory system, including COVID-19, overtook cancer and became the leading cause of death for both males and females in the territory

“Amid the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the age-sex specific mortality rates for quite a number of age groups of both sexes in Hong Kong in 2022 were higher than in 2021,” the C&SD said.

“Nevertheless, the age-sex specific mortality rates for both sexes and most age groups have been broadly decreasing continuously over the previous 30 years, reflecting that residents of Hong Kong tend to live longer along with advancement in healthcare services.”

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The department noted that life expectancy in Hong Kong compares favorably to that of other economies with low mortality rates like Japan and Singapore, which also saw slight decreases in their life expectancy during the period.

Substantial improvement

The C&SD pointed out that life expectancy in Hong Kong had actually improved substantially since the early 1990s.  

“In 1991, the expectations of life at birth for males was 75.2 years and that for females was 80.7 years,” the department said. “By 2022, the corresponding figures for males and females increased to 80.7 years and 86.8 years respectively, indicating a substantial improvement in mortality rate over the period.”

The department said that from 1991 to 2000, cancer, diseases of the circulatory system and diseases of the respiratory system were the dominant causes of death in Hong Kong.

“These three diseases together accounted for about 78 percent of all deaths in 2000. The other causes contributed a relatively minor share of all causes,” it said.

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From  1991 to 2000, cancer took a heavier toll than diseases of the circulatory system for males while diseases of the circulatory system were the leading cause of death for females.

But in 2022, diseases of the respiratory system, including COVID-19, overtook cancer and became the leading cause of death for both males and females in the territory.

“In 2022, the percentages of male deaths caused by diseases of the respiratory system, neoplasms and diseases of the circulatory system were 37 percent, 25 percent and 17 percent respectively, and the corresponding percentages of female deaths were 33 percent, 24 percent, and 17 percent respectively,” C&SD said.

More deaths in winter

The department also noted a “pronounced seasonality in the incidence of deaths” in the city, with more people passing away in winter.  

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“In general, mortality is far greater in the winter months when the cold weather apparently takes its toll on life,” C&SD said.

“In the months of December through April, the number of deaths is higher than that in the warmer months of May through November.”