According to the Advanced English dictionary, Life Expectancy refers to an expected time to live as calculated on the basis of statistical probabilities.
Human life expectancy has increased in the past years, but irrespective of this increase, huge disparities exist. Sadly, many African countries find themselves on the lower end of this spectrum. While the average life expectancy for humans has increased significantly on a global scale, there’s still a noticeable gap in average life expectancies between different countries and largely among African countries.
| Rank | Country | Life Expectancy |
| 1 | Chad | 52.5 Years |
| 2 | Nigeria | 52.7 Years |
| 3 | Central African Republic | 53.9 Years |
| 4 | South Sudan | 55.0 Years |
| 5 | Somalia | 55.3 Years |
| 6 | Eswatini | 57.1 Years |
| 7 | Mali | 58.9 Years |
| 8 | Guinea | 58.9 Years |
| 9 | Congo, Dem Rep | 59.2 Years |
| 10 | Mozambique | 59.3 Years |
According to the above table, Chad has the lowest life expectancy at 52.5 years, followed by the most populated black country in the world, Nigeria at 52.7 years, and the Central African Republic at 53.9 years.
It is not just luck that determines life expectancy, factors like race, how much money you have, gender, and where you live all play a crucial role in determining your life expectancy.
According to the World Bank, research has it that countries that spend more on healthcare tend to have higher rates of life expectancy. To increase healthy living and increase these expectancies, many countries have emphasized primary health care, including immunization, sanitation, access to safe drinking water, and safe motherhood initiatives.
From the research findings, it was discovered that in Africa, life expectancy varied widely across different countries in the continent due to factors like access to healthcare, economic development, and prevalence of diseases in those countries.
Countries with the Highest Life Expectancy in the World
The countries ranked with the longest expected life spans were countries in Asia and Europe, with Japan, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and South Korea all topping the list at 84 years.
