BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The average life expectancy of women in Beijing rose to 84.63 years in 2018, an increase of 12.37 years from four decades ago, the Beijing Youth Daily reported Monday.

In 2017, the life expectancy of Beijing residents was 82.15 years.

The maternal and infant death rates in 2018 decreased by 68 percent and 88 percent respectively compared with 1979, according to the newspaper, citing statistics released by the Beijing Municipal Health Commission.

The infant and under-five mortality rates of the city's registered population both went down to 2.01 and 2.69 deaths per 1,000 live births respectively in 2018, reaching the level of developed countries.

The birth defect prevention and treatment also achieved remarkable results over the past year.

The incidence of neural tube defects decreased from 1.01 per 1,000 newborns in 2011 to 0.67 per 1,000 newborns in 2018. The incidence of serious birth defects has been declined for eight consecutive years, with more than 70 percent of birth defects being prevented.

In 2018, Beijing took a series of measures such as establishing emergency centers, offering health examinations and popularizing health knowledge to improve medical services and reduce birth defect risks, the newspaper said.