Geza Ulole
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 31, 2009
- 59,131
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Life expectancy goes up
Dar as Salaam: Tanzania has the highest life expectancy among the five East African Community (EAC) partner states, closely followed by Kenya, a new report says.The 2010 State of the World Population (SWP), which was launched in Dar es Salaam yesterday, says that while a Tanzanian woman is assured of living an average of 57 years and seven months, a man can live up to 56 years and one month.
The life expectancy increased by six months over last year. Then, the SWP report also ranked Tanzania first with a life expectancy of 57 years and one month for women, and 55 years and five months for men.
This year, Kenya came second country in the region, with its womens average life expectancy standing at 56 years, and the men expected to live up to 55 years in the strongest economy in the EAC.
Kenya registered an increase in life expectancy by seven months for women and five for men, while Uganda improved its situation by seven and six months for women and men, respectively.
Women in Uganda, which is ranked third in the region, can live until they reach 54 years and eight months, which is one year and four months longer than their men.
Burundi came fourth with a life expectancy of 52 years and nine months for women, and 49 years and eight months for men.
Rwanda brought the rear, with women being assured of a life expectancy similar to that of their Burundi counterparts. Burundian men can also live six months longer than the Rwandese.
Life expectancy in Burundi increased by five and four months for women and men, respectively, while Rwanda saw its life expectancy increase by four months for both women and men.
Japan has the highest average life expectancy in the world, enabling women to live up to 86 years and six months, seven months more than their men.
Afghanistan has the lowest average life expectancy, with women living one month less than men, who can live up to 44 years and seven months.
Yesterday, officiating at the launch of the report in Dar es Salaam on behalf of the minister for Home Affairs, Mr Lawrence Masha, the permanent secretary, Ms Elezabeth Nyambiho, said it accurately reflected the reality of several decades of conflicts in Africa.
Tanzania has until recently hosted Africas most protracted refugee caseload that lasted for four decades. However, in an unprecedented move, the country offered a lasting solution to the 1972 Burundi refugees by naturalising some 162, 000, she said.
The SWP report titled, From Conflict and Crisis to Renewal: Generations of Change noted progress and challenges in implementing various aspects of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and changes in national, regional and global demographics.
The 2010 report, for the first time, included an analysis of selected indicators on reproductive health, which was in 2007 adopted as the fifth UN Millennium Development Goal.
When women and girls have the power to decide for themselves when and if they will become pregnant, they are more likely to have healthy pregnancies and seek antenatal care. Their children are more likely to survive infancy and early childhood, reads the report in part.
The ICPD selected indicators track progress towards the MDGs that deal with education and health, and which, according to the report, illustrate aspects of care for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health.
The health indicators include maternal and infant mortality, contraceptive prevalence, HIV/Aids and adolescent birth rates. Also included are indicators on the availability of skilled care during births.
Despite having the highest life expectancy in the region, Tanzanias achievements are marred by a high HIV/Aids infection rate among people aged between 15 and 49 years, which stands at 6.2 per cent followed by Ugandas 5.4 per cent.
Although HIV/Aids infection rate statistics were not given in the report for Burundi and Kenya, Rwanda appears to have the lowest score of only 2.8 per cent.
Tanzania and Kenya are on a par on the infant mortality rate. They report 60 deaths out of every 1,000 live births, compared with 95, 96 and 70 deaths in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, respectively.
Tanzania was ranked second after Rwanda in illiteracy, with 57.7 per cent of girls and 56.1 per cent of boys aged below 15 years unable to read and write. The report estimates that 33.9 per cent of girls and 25.2 per cent of boys of that age in Rwanda are illiterate.
Uganda is ranked third in illiteracy with 33.2 of the girls and 17.6 of boys of that age, who can neither read nor write. While Kenya has 17.2 per cent of girls and 9.7 of illiterate boys. Burundi boasts only 2.1 per cent of the girls below 15 years and 1.4 of the boys of the same age, who cannot read and write.
About 40 women in Burundi use modern contraceptive methods compared with only 18 in Uganda, 20 in Tanzania, 26 in Kenya and 39 in Rwanda.
Life expectancy goes up
MY TAKE:
ain't looking for a fight over here but just representin' the facts so plz...abstain from abusive languages and arguments :glasses-nerdy: . Peace and love; just waiting for CCM to steal election as adviced by GOK's dischargee Kalonzo Musyoka! lucky Musyoka is above 56 years....
