{Article} SocioEconomic: Life Expectancy over the last 40 years
- Indians are living much longer than they did 40 years ago. Between 1970
and 2010, the life expectancy at birth of an average Indian male has
gone up by 15 years to 63 years and that of an Indian woman by 18 years
to 67.5.
- However, the number of years they stay healthy is much less. An Indian
male can expect to be in good health only till he reaches the age of
54.6 years and is likely to battle various ailments in the last nine
years of his life. On the other hand, the average Indian woman is likely
to spend the last 10.4 years of her life in poor health.
- The Global Burden of Disease Study, 2010, the largest ever study to
describe the global distribution and causes of a wide array of major
diseases, injuries and health risk factors, says that a common practice
in Indian households —mainly in rural settings of burning wood, coal and
animal dung as fuel in chulhas — has proved to be the greatest enemy
for Indians. While globally, high blood pressure is the single biggest
causative agent of disease, it is indoor air pollution for Indians.
- The other threats to Indians include a diet low in fruits, high blood
glucose levels, alcohol use, iron deficiency, sub-optimal breast
feeding, low physical activity and occupational injuries.
- Tobacco smoking, including second-hand smoke, caused nearly 6.3 million
deaths across the globe. With India being one of the world’s major
tobacco users, most of these deaths may have happened in the country.
- Lower back pain—a common phenomenon among Indians—has been found to be
the leading cause of years lived with disability (YLD) across the world.
- Compared to 1970, average Indian woman now lives till 67.5 yrs, 18 years more; man till 63, nearly 15 yrs more
- Globally, women’s life expectancy up by 12 yrs (73), men by 11 (67.5).
Men in Iceland live longest, up to 80 yrs; women in Japan live to 86
| 
