Africa’s life expectancy has gone up by 10 years, the World Health Organization announced in a recent report. The report notes that between 2000 and 2019 the average life expectancy in African countries went up from 46 years to 56 years.
This increase has been attributed mainly to improved access to healthcare services. However, this recent statistical achievement remains significantly below the global average of 64 years.
Based on a person’s age, gender, and country, their life expectancy is the average number of years they may expect to live. It tells us the average age of death in a population.
According to the data collected across 47 African countries between 2000 and 2019, Africa experienced the greatest increase in life expectancy globally.
The WHO has however warned that the COVID-19 epidemic remains a major threat to human life in Africa.
