Taiwanese people are living longer again after the pandemic, good news overall but a reminder of a wide gap between rich cities and poorer counties.

• Average life expectancy hit 81.27 years, back to pre-COVID levels, with women at 84.75 and men at 77.93.
• Deaths fell for the third year in a row as COVID faded, with people over 65 making up three quarters of all deaths.
• Taipei leads at 83.98 years, followed by Hsinchu City and New Taipei; Taitung County trails at 76.49, the only place under 77.
• The gap between men in Taipei and men in Taitung is nearly nine years, pointing to big differences in income and healthcare access.
• Taiwanese women and men both live far longer than the global average — by 8.6 and 7 years.

Outlook: Life expectancy should keep creeping up as pandemic effects fade, but the rural-urban health gap looks set to persist.