Life expectancy for Malaysians dropped in 2022, and this could be why

It's gone down over the past couple of years.

Sept. 29, 2022

Life expectancy for Malaysians dropped in 2022, and this could be why

A slight downer for Malaysians: The overall life expectancy in the country has fallen in 2022, according to figures presented by the Department of Statistics (DoS).

According to the numbers, babies born in 2022 can expect to enjoy an average life expectancy of around 73.4 years, compared to a slightly higher 74.5 years for those born in 2021.

Going into detail, the DoS also revealed that Malaysian women could be expected to live longer than men, with the difference in 2022 being some 4.5 years.

Here are some other points as indicated by the stats:

Male babies born over the past three years can hope to have an average life expectancy of 72.5 years (born in 2020), 72.3 years (born in 2021), and 71.3 years (born in 2022.)
Female babies born over the past three years may enjoy an average life expectancy of 77.2 years (born in 2020), 77 years (born in 2021), and 75.8 years (born in 2022).
Malaysian teenagers who turn 15 in 2022 can expect to live for another 56.9 years (males) and 61.3 years (females).
Adults turning 60 in 2022 may expect to live for another 17.5 years (males) and 20.1 years (females), while those turning 65 can expect to go on for another 14.2 years (males) and 16.4 years (female).
The Chinese population in Malaysia is expected to have the longest average life expectancy, with males to hit 73.5 years and females to hit 79.4 years.
Malays and those in the "Other Bumiputera" category followed behind the Chinese, with Malay males and females expected to hit an average of 70.4 years and 74.7 years respectively, just below "Other Bumiputera" males and females, who are expected to hit an average of 71 and 74.9 years respectively.
The Indian population in Malaysia currently have to lowest life expectancy rates, with males expected to hit only 66.3 years on average, and females to hit 73.2 years on average.

Why is this happening?

The release by the DoS provided lengthy insights into the changes in life expectancy rates over the past three years (2020 to 2022), but only ventured to explain the overall declining lifespans to the increased amount of excess deaths caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But beyond the devastating changes caused by COVID-19, it is also possible that other major socioeconomic factors may be contributing to the lowered life expectancies among Malaysians.

To estimate the life expectancy of a general population, there are usually a select number of factors and events that are usually taken into account, namely gender, genetics, lifestyle choices, access to healthcare, crime rates, and wealth.

In Malaysia, it's possible that things such as the prevalence of NCD's (non-communicable diseases) such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer have contributed to stagnant life expectancies since the beginning of the 2010's, and lowered ones since 2020.

In 2019, then Health Minister Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad revealed that the number of Malaysians dealing with problems such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity had risen to worrying amounts, with resulting NCDs becoming prominent causes of premature deaths among Malaysians.

In relation, we could probably also deduce that the current decline in life expectancies may have something to do with a downturn in economic fortunes, with increased poverty leading to problems such as elevated crime rates and poorer access to healthcare and nutrition.

Currently, Malaysia's economy looks to be in a slight slump (along with many other nations in the region), with the World Bank predicting a lower rate of growth for the country in 2023, down from a previously-predicted 4.5 percent to 4.2 percent. This is despite the upwards trajectory projected for Malaysia's GDP growth in 2022 – up to 6.4 percent from an earlier-projected 5.5 percent.

This lowered forecast is of course also due to external factors such as supply disruptions caused by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, and China's zero-tolerance stance towards COVID-19, which has significantly affected its trade partners around the world.

However, with things on the COVID-19 front looking to improve (generally) over the coming months, we may expect the overall life expectancy rate in the country to perhaps even begin going back up again.