HONG KONG: Hong Kong ranked seventh among places where people are most likely to live beyond 100 years old, trailing Japan in Asia.
Among every 100,000 residents, the city had 47 centenarians in 2020, according to a global survey conducted by Lottie, a United Kingdom elderly care service provider.
The company analysed the United Nations' population statistics on the estimated number of people aged 100 or above to find regions with a high proportion of centenarians in 2020.
Hong Kong was estimated to have 3,561 residents aged 100 or above in 2020, over 84% of whom were female.
Compared with the statistics in 2000, Hong Kong's centenarian frequency has increased by 89%, one percentage point higher than that of Japan.
Japan came fourth in the survey with 62 centenarians per 100,000. The country was estimated to have 78,636 people over the age of 100, with 87% of them female.
Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory in the Caribbean Sea, topped the list, with 75 people aged 100 or above in every 100,000. It has increased by around 79% in two decades. The region had an estimated 299 centenarians, 73% of whom were female.
Despite Hong Kong's increasing life expectancy, the city suffered a loss of elderly people during the fifth wave of Covid-19 in 2022. Until last Wednesday, among the 9,193 residents who died, more than 95% were aged 60 or above. The oldest was 112, and the average age was 86.