HK beats odds with 8th highest life spans in world

Hongkongers now boast one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, though a move to Macau could add on another two years.

In the latest World Factbook annually published by the CIA, Hong Kong came in eighth in the world with an average life expectancy of just over 82 years. The average life span for Hong Kong men was 79 and 85 for women.

People living in the European sovereign state of Monaco took pole position in the survey released this month, with an average life span of about 891/2 years, followed by Macau, where residents can expect to live to over 84. Japan came third at just under 84 years.

The CIA figures for Hong Kong were slightly lower than the local Census and Statistics Department's figures from last year, which said men could expect to live to 80 and women to 86.

Dr Karen Cheung Siu-lan, a social science expert from the University of Hong Kong, said it was a mystery as to why Hongkongers lived so long. 'We are living in such a crowded place with polluted air, stressful yet sedentary work style, excessive drinking and a diet with three highs - salt, sugar and oil - but people in Hong Kong still can enjoy a long life,' she said.

Offering clues as to longevity is Cheung's recent study on healthy Hongkongers aged 100 or near that age. She interviewed more than 150 people born between 1905 and 1915, and took DNA and blood samples.