Japanese women took the top spot in average life expectancy worldwide for the third consecutive year in 2014 at 86.83 years, while Japanese men climbed a notch to tie for third place at 80.50 years.

The figures for both Japanese females and males marked all-time highs, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Thursday.

For women, Hong Kong was second at 86.75 years and Spain third at 85.60 years. Hong Kong men ranked top at 81.17 years, followed by men in Iceland at 80.8 years. Japanese men shared third place with men in Singapore and Switzerland.