South Korean babies born in 2018 can be expected to live just over 82 years, government data showed, as a growing number of people are taking care of their health by receiving regular medical checkups and treatment.

Life expectancy at birth averaged 82.7 years in 2018 and remained unchanged from a year ago, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The figure represents a sharp hike from 62.3 years in 1970, when Korea began to compile relevant data.

Baby boys and girls born in 2018 were expected to live 79.7 years and 85.7 years, respectively, with the gap between them narrowing by one month to six years. (Yonhap)