BEIJING - China's top health official on Thursday said the country's average life expectancy has risen to 79 years.

The figure, measured by the end of 2024, was 1.1 years higher than that in 2020, said Lei Haichao, head of the National Health Commission, adding that it marked "a notable improvement" for a developing country.

Eight provincial-level regions have even recorded an average life expectancy over 80 years, he added.

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Lei, speaking at a press conference on the country's progress in the health sector during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), stated that infant and maternal mortality rates have continued to decline over the past five years, and the overall health level of residents has steadily improved.

Obesity rate down

He said that the rates of overweight and obesity among Chinese children under the age of 6 decreased from 10.4 percent five years ago to the current 9.7 percent.

The incidence rate of macrosomia, or large-for-gestational-age infants, has dropped in the last five years, Lei said.

The nutritional status of children in China has continued to improve, with the stunting rate among children under 6 years old nationwide dropping to 4.5 percent and the underweight rate decreasing to 1.4 percent, Lei added.

Chinese children taller

Also on Thursday, the commission announced that, over the past five years, the average height of Chinese children aged 6 to 17 has risen by 2.1 centimeters for boys and 2.2 centimeters for girls.