Top 10 African Countries by Life Expectancy at Birth, 2018

Life expectancy, one of the methods used to measure health in various countries, has drastically risen in Africa from 50.9 years in 2012 to as high as 54 years last year, according to UNDP. The gain in longevity is observed despite the fact that large section of the African population still suffers from poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, and low access to health facilities, communicable diseases, and a lack of access to clean water. Despite the improvement, the lowest life expectancy in the world is located in the continent. Africa’s Sierra Leone has a life expectancy of only 50.1 years, the lowest in the world.The major reason for the jump in life expectancy is the decrease in deaths resulting from Africa’s 10 major health risks – including lower respiratory infections, HIV and diarrhoeal diseases – because of the implementation of specialized health programs, according to World Health Organization. Algieria is the leading in life expectancy among African countries, while Ethiopia ranked 17th. Ethiopia is amongst countries which has witnessed a remarkable growth in life expectancy, from 51.9 years in 2000 to 65.9 years in 2018, according to UNDP.

^{Source: United Nations Development Programme}

7th Year • Oct.16 – Nov. 15 2018 • No. 67