Koreans' healthy life expectancy is 70.74 years

The average number of years that a Korean can expect to live in "full health" is 70.74, according to a state-run health research institute.

According to a research paper released by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Koreans born in 2011 are expected to live 81.20 years on average, while their healthy life expectancy is 70.74 years.

In other words, Koreans born in 2011 will likely spend an average of 10.46 years in less than full health due to diseases or injuries throughout their lives.

While female Koreans have a healthy life expectancy of 72.48, the figure for males is 68.79.

The health research institute said chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, are a major factor holding back Koreans' healthy life expectancy.

In 2011, a Korean aged 65 or older had an average of 3.34 chronic diseases, including osteoporosis and lower back pain, according to the institute. dyc@heraldcorp.com