A BABY born today in Hong Kong will live for an average 79 years - the longest expected lifespan in the world, according to a report by Unicef, the United Nations agency for children.
Those coming into the world today should live on average until the year 2074, by which time Hong Kong may have been an ordinary Chinese city for 27 years, its 50-year life as a Special Administrative Region long over.
The report shows the territory has drawn level with Japan, which long had the highest life expectancy at birth, and is far ahead of Britain and the United States, both at 76, and Singapore where longevity at birth is 75.
In Hong Kong, girl babies can expect to live eight per cent longer than boys. Mainland babies can expect to live until age 68.
In 1960 in Hong Kong, 52 out of 1,000 babies died before their fifth birthday. Now all but six will reach their fifth birthday. Only Finland and Sweden have lower child mortality rates.
Dr Thomas Tsang Ho-fi, a researcher in epidemiology and health statistics in the Department of Health, said the crucial times were when the mother was pregnant and shortly after the child was born.