Mapping drivers of life expectancy change in Asia from 1990 to 2023

Bhaskaran Unnikrishnan Balachandar Vellingiri Dinesh Upadhya Ahmed Bilal Waqar Kazumasa Yamagishi Zhiyong Zou Y. Waheed Suowen Xu Abdul Rohim Tualeka Liqun Zhang Dakshitha Praneeth Wickramasinghe Ingan Ukur Tarigan Manoj Tanwar Ghazala Yunus Nuwan Darshana Wickramasinghe Lishun Xiao Yong Yu Dehui Yin Galal Yahya Karn Wijarnpreecha Saba Tariq Yunquan Zhang Shoban Babu Varthya Muhammad Umair Marcos Roberto Tovani-Palone Narayanaswamy Venketasubramanian Srikanth Umakanthan Gary Tse Haiqiang Yao Dong Keon Yon Amir Yarahmadi Xiaoyi Zhang Jibrin Sammani Usman Pascual R. Valdez Pengpeng Ye Ramna Thakur Anggi Lukman Wicaksana Naohiro Yonemoto Stefanos Tyrovolas Chuanhua Yu Bach Xuan Tran Mario Valenti Hong Xiao Yen Jun Wong Shu Wang Saeed Ullah Haosu Tang Nikhil Kenny Thomas Fei Long Wei Sojit Tomo Md Ismail Tareque Sok Cin Tye Reem Temsah Ghazal Zoghi Masayuki Teramoto Jay Tewari Mohammed Zuber Joe Varghese Angga Wilandika Jose M. Valderas Zhiqiang Zhang Abzal Zhumagaliuly Thang Huu Tran Nguyen Kieu Viet-Nhi Manish Vinayak Asokan Govindaraj Vaithinathan Magdalena Zielińska Asokan Govindaraj Vaithinathan Dongmiao Zhang Salih Mustafa Zebari Siyan Yi Jansje Henny Vera Ticoalu Muhammad Waqas Munkhtuya Tumurkhuu Quynh Thuy Huong Tran Jef Van den Eynde Yanzhong Wang Xiaoyue Xu Madi Tleshev Hafsa Zia Wanqing Xie Mingyang Xue Yuichiro Yano Claire Chenwen Zhong Zhijia Xia Jae Il Shin Gary Tse Yuichi Yasufuku Rekha Thapar Mohammed G. M Zeariya Claire Chenwen Zhong Dongmiao Zhang Nguyen Tran Minh Duc Casper J. P Zhang Ruixuan Wang Era Upadhyay Nicholas Steel Simona Villani Robert G. Weintraub Manjari Tripathi Simon I. Hay Paul Yip Mukesh Kumar Yadav Nihal Thomas

Publication Name: Nature

Publication Date: 2026-01-01

Volume: Unknown

Issue: Unknown

Page Range: Unknown

Description:

Life expectancy is a key indicator of population health and an important guide for health policy1,2. Although Asia represents approximately 60% of the global population, studies of longitudinal trends in life expectancy and their underlying drivers across Asian countries remain limited, with most previous research focused on western or high-income settings3, 4, 5–6. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of life expectancy, cause-specific mortality and risk factors in 1990–2023 across 34 Asian countries and territories, utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 20231,7. Life expectancy increased in all countries and territories between 1990 and 2023, with the largest annual gains observed in South Asia and the smallest annual gains in high-income Asia Pacific countries and territories. Reductions in cardiovascular disease mortality were the primary contributors to life expectancy gains in Central Asia, East Asia and high-income Asia Pacific, whereas declines in diarrhoeal diseases and tuberculosis contributed most in South and Southeast Asia. In 2019–2023, life expectancy declined in several Asian regions, largely driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a nearly two-year loss in the first year of the pandemic. The causes of changes in life expectancy and the contributing risk factors varied across regions and countries/territories. Therefore, under the principles of proportional universalism, proactive and effective policies at both regional and national levels are essential to reduce premature mortality and reduce life expectancy inequalities across Asia.

Open Access: Yes

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10739-6

Authors - 104

Bhaskaran Unnikrishnan

12790012100

Balachandar Vellingiri

22978217900

Dinesh Upadhya

24333659800

Ahmed Bilal Waqar

35088909900

Kazumasa Yamagishi

35231751500

Zhiyong Zou

35270950600

Y. Waheed

35303643700

Suowen Xu

35303824800

Abdul Rohim Tualeka

36447791600

Liqun Zhang

37085663700

Dakshitha Praneeth Wickramasinghe

37099212100

Ingan Ukur Tarigan

54080771800

Manoj Tanwar

54390377800

Ghazala Yunus

54893777700

Nuwan Darshana Wickramasinghe

55326938000

Lishun Xiao

55366342800

Yong Yu

55628587954

Dehui Yin

55881605800

Galal Yahya

55971917800

Karn Wijarnpreecha

56324138000

Saba Tariq

56376685600

Yunquan Zhang

56568510200

Shoban Babu Varthya

56586223000

Muhammad Umair

56641365200

Marcos Roberto Tovani-Palone

56644977900

Narayanaswamy Venketasubramanian

56804702100

Srikanth Umakanthan

56814926400

Gary Tse

56829029100

Haiqiang Yao

57191263212

Dong Keon Yon

57193675906

Amir Yarahmadi

57194976053

Xiaoyi Zhang

57200388529

Jibrin Sammani Usman

57200394078

Pascual R. Valdez

57202115577

Pengpeng Ye

57202839295

Ramna Thakur

57203728704

Anggi Lukman Wicaksana

57204802271

Naohiro Yonemoto

57204947657

Stefanos Tyrovolas

57207793475

Chuanhua Yu

57208140344

Bach Xuan Tran

57209107515

Mario Valenti

57212270726

Hong Xiao

57214631433

Yen Jun Wong

57216889678

Shu Wang

57216923903

Saeed Ullah

57218515071

Haosu Tang

57218599887

Nikhil Kenny Thomas

57218603966

Fei Long Wei

57219270845

Sojit Tomo

57219773428

Md Ismail Tareque

57219908903

Sok Cin Tye

57221919270

Reem Temsah

57222065893

Ghazal Zoghi

57222254861

Masayuki Teramoto

57222309775

Jay Tewari

57223002409

Mohammed Zuber

57323414200

Joe Varghese

57372145200

Angga Wilandika

57465682500

Jose M. Valderas

57566719300

Zhiqiang Zhang

57924906200

Abzal Zhumagaliuly

57999133100

Thang Huu Tran

58158086500

Nguyen Kieu Viet-Nhi

58166594500

Manish Vinayak

58199948600

Asokan Govindaraj Vaithinathan

58309502900

Magdalena Zielińska

58491440100

Asokan Govindaraj Vaithinathan

58547317600

Dongmiao Zhang

58562974800

Salih Mustafa Zebari

58672599500

Siyan Yi

58777516000

Jansje Henny Vera Ticoalu

58806122400

Muhammad Waqas

59139606000

Munkhtuya Tumurkhuu

59156725100

Quynh Thuy Huong Tran

59208404200

Jef Van den Eynde

59383291100

Yanzhong Wang

59417336500

Xiaoyue Xu

59560820600

Madi Tleshev

59567290000

Hafsa Zia

59628039200

Wanqing Xie

59667879600

Mingyang Xue

59695064700

Yuichiro Yano

59776825000

Claire Chenwen Zhong

60033328900

Zhijia Xia

60133055000

Jae Il Shin

60151181800

Gary Tse

60344969400

Yuichi Yasufuku

60370448000

Rekha Thapar

60570049300

Mohammed G. M Zeariya

60585009800

Claire Chenwen Zhong

60606057100

Dongmiao Zhang

60753212200

Nguyen Tran Minh Duc

60753285500

Casper J. P Zhang

60753427700

Ruixuan Wang

60753583500

Era Upadhyay

6505961711

Nicholas Steel

6603791873

Simona Villani

7004352422

Robert G. Weintraub

7006079405

Manjari Tripathi

7007046120

Simon I. Hay

7101875313

Paul Yip

7102503720

Mukesh Kumar Yadav

7102892913

Nihal Thomas

7401830494