Married Chinese and Asians are 15 per cent less likely to die of any cause than unmarried counterparts of a similar age, survey finds

More than 600,000 people from four Asian countries – including China and Japan – were interviewed during the research

Despite potential health benefits of being wed, the number of young Asian adults tying the knot is on the decline

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A new study out of China found a 15 per cent drop in mortality rate among people who did not get married. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:00pm, 16 Jun 2022Updated: 9:21am, 17 Jun 2022

As the famous song goes “love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage” and recent research suggests that however bumpy the ride, being hitched will help you live longer.

A cohort study of more than half-a-million people has found that – in general – married couples in China and in neighbouring countries are 15 per cent less likely to die from any cause compared to their unmarried counterparts.

They are also about 20 per cent less likely to die from heart diseases and external causes such as accidents, according to the study, published in the journal, JAMA Network Open, late last month.

Its findings were based on the analysis of the medical records of more than 623,000 people from mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, aged 54 on average, over a period of 15 years.

‘Get married and live longer’, one study finds. Photo: Shutterstock

Compared with married people, those who are single also have an excess 17 per cent risk of circulatory system diseases and 14 per cent excess risk of respiratory illness, the study showed.

Being married is especially beneficial to men of all ages and both genders below the age of 65, it suggested.