Life expectancy is more than just a measure of how many years people live; it reflects the overall well-being of a society, including healthcare quality, living conditions, education, nutrition, and political stability. Around the world, life expectancy varies greatly depending on where a person is born.
According to the latest United Nations World Population Prospects report, there is a clear divide between richer and poorer countries. Wealthy nations benefit from advanced healthcare, cleaner environments, and better infrastructure, which leads to longer lives. In contrast, poorer countries face challenges such as disease, malnutrition, conflict, and limited access to healthcare, resulting in much lower life expectancies.
Africa faces the most severe challenges in this regard. Out of the 25 countries with the lowest life expectancy globally, 24 are located on the African continent. This reflects deep-rooted issues like underfunded healthcare systems, poor access to clean water and sanitation, high rates of infectious diseases including malaria and HIV/AIDS, and ongoing political and economic instability in many areas.
For example, Nigeria’s average life expectancy is just 54.6 years, a stark contrast to Monaco, where people live the longest at nearly 87 years. Despite Nigeria’s status as one of Africa’s largest economies, it struggles with widespread poverty, disease, insecurity, and inadequate healthcare and infrastructure, all of which contribute to shorter lifespans.
Other African countries with some of the lowest life expectancies include Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Lesotho, Somalia, Mali, Guinea, Benin, and Burkina Faso. These countries face similar struggles that continue to limit how long their populations live.
The wide gap in life expectancy between high- and low-income nations highlights the urgent need for investment in health, infrastructure, and political stability across much of Africa to improve the quality and length of life for its people.
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