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In 1900, life expectancy at birth throughout Africa,
Asia and Latin America was 25 - 28 years. Today, it is well
over 50 years. Life expectancy everywhere around the world
has increased over the past few decades. On average, people
live about 12 years more today than they did in 1960. It is
a measure of the extent to which economic, social and political
forces within a country have made it possible for citizens
to avoid early death and lead a healthy life.
There are big
differences between regions:
- Africa has
the lowest life expectancy with 52.7 years for men and 55.7
for women
- North America
has the highest life expectancy with 73.5 years for men
and 80.2 years for women
Look at the
chart below:
Who
Lives Longer
continues...
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