With the development of the medical and health field, the life expectancy of the global population has been significantly extended. Recently, an international analysis report on the trend of life expectancy was released, revealing nine basic laws and conclusions that affect the life expectancy of the global population.
1.Extension of our lifespan
Since 1990, life expectancy has increased by 7 years globally. This is partly due to the declining death rate from heart disease in high-income countries, but also to the year-on-year decline in child mortality in low-income countries.
In addition, medical advances, improvements in environmental sanitation and medical technology have undoubtedly played a beneficial role in the fundamental improvement of life expectancy.
2.Western Europe has the highest life expectancy
Of the world's top 20 longest-lived countries, 14 are from Europe. The average life expectancy in England is as high as 81 years.
East Asian countries also performed well. Currently, life expectancy in Japan and Singapore can reach 84 years.
3.African countries have the shortest life expectancy
Of the bottom 20 countries, 18 are from Africa.
For example, in 2016, children born in Lesotho and the Central African Republic had a life expectancy of 50 years, a full 34 years less than the Japanese.
This is directly related to the fact that these two countries have suffered from civil wars for many years. On the other hand, ongoing war, drought and a host of other problems have made Afghanistan the only country in Asia with the lowest surviving life expectancy of 58 years.
4.Overall, women generally live longer than men
According to the survey, women in 195 out of 198 countries live longer than men, with an average of six years longer than men. Some countries have even reached an 11-year-old gap, such as Russia in Eastern Europe.
Russian men appear to have a shorter lifespan in relative terms, which is inextricably linked to excessive alcohol consumption and poor working conditions.
However, in three countries, the Republic of the Congo, Kuwait and Mauritania, men live longer than women.
5.Ethiopia, 19 years older than before
Since 1990, 96% of the world's population has seen a significant increase in life expectancy. Among them, sub-Saharan Africa has seen the most significant improvements. In 1990, the average life expectancy in Ethiopia was only 47 years (due to famine), but life expectancy at birth is expected to increase to 66 years in 2016, mainly due to a reduction in respiratory infections, diarrhoea and other diseases.
6.8 countries with declining life expectancy
The most significant declines were in four countries: Lesotho, South Africa, Costa Rica and Ukraine.
According to the United Nations, a quarter of Lesotho's population is infected with HIV. South Africa's national average life expectancy in 2016 was 62 years, compared to 64 years in 1990, also due to the severe impact of the AIDS epidemic.
7.The impact of geopolitics on the longevity of a nation
The determinants of life expectancy are complex, and life expectancy can vary greatly even between two neighbouring countries. For example, the difference in life expectancy between China and Afghanistan is as high as 18 years. Further, the average life expectancy of Mali and Algeria, which is a neighbor of West Africa, is only 62 years, but its neighbor Algeria has an average life expectancy of 77 years.
8.The devastating blow of war to life expectancy
During the 2010 civil war in Syria, life expectancy fell from 65th to 142nd. During the same period, life expectancy in Rwanda plummeted to 11 years in 1994 due to racial prominence.
9.Famine and natural disasters also have a negative impact on life expectancy
Severe famine in North Korea between 1994 and 1998 led to a decrease in life expectancy. In 2010, Khorgos suffered a catastrophic Haitian attack** that killed an estimated 200,000 people, affecting the country's life expectancy, although the situation has since improved.