Korean national census data indicate that there are sex and geographical differences in the population longevity pattern.
The average lifespan is considerably higher in women than in men (difference, >7 years). The sex difference in longevity
is more prominent in centenarians, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:11.5. Women have a genetic advantage for longevity,
which is associated with biology, physical activity, occupation, exposure to danger, and access to health services.
Nonetheless, there are regional differences. A sex-specific habitat effect on longevity in Korea shows that exceptionally
long-lived men are more common in the mountainous area, whereas exceptionally long-lived women are more common
by the seashore or in flat areas, suggesting an interaction between geography and sex on exceptional longevity. It is
therefore important to integrate the effects of environment, sex, nutritional pattern, physical activity, and social variables
when studying exceptional longevity. A compensating and balancing model of human longevity is expected to provide a
new tool for studying longevity and to explain the dynamic changes of population longevity.

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