Filipino Life Expectancy to Continue Rising Through 2035

LIFE EXPECTANCY at birth among Filipinos continued to rise, with those born in 2026 projected to live 68.05 years for males and 74.60 years for females, according to preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The figures improved from 67.77 years for males and 74.31 years for females for those born in 2025, and are higher than 66.17 years and 73.26 years projected for 2020 births, respectively, PSA’s 2020-based Census Projection showed. These upticks, however, slightly raised the disparity by sex year on year to 6.55 years from 6.54 years for those born in 2025. Life expectancy is expected to improve for males born in 2035 to a span of 70.42 years and females to 77.06 years. The National Capital Region logged the highest projections for individuals born in 2026 with males having a life expectancy of 73.74 years and 80.43 years for females, maintaining a disparity of 6.69 years among sexes seen in projections for 2025-born Filipinos. These are expected to rise to 75.31 years and 82.04 years, for males and females respectively, in 2035, with disparity between sexes inching up to 6.73 years. Meanwhile, Filipinos born in Soccskargen in 2026 had the lowest life expectancy among all regions at 63.78 years for males and 70 years for females — a 6.22-year disparity between sexes. Projections for those in the region who will be born in 2035 are expected to improve to 66.68 years for males and 73 years for females, slightly widening the disparity to 6.32 years for births on that year. The projected life expectancies at birth are based on Scenario 2 of the 2020 Census-Based Population Projections and provide estimates for males and females at the national and regional level for each calendar year from 2020-2035. — Matthew Miguel L. Castillo