Over three decades, life expectancy grew worldwide, most notably in Eastern sub-Saharan Africa, with an impressive increase of almost 11 years, following concerted efforts like improved prevention and treatment tactics and the strengthening and expansion of immunization programs.
“The global community must ensure that the lifesaving tools that have cut deaths from ischemic heart disease, stroke, and other non-communicable diseases in most high-income countries are available to people in all countries, even where resources are limited,” explains Eve Wool, senior author of the study and a Senior Research Manager at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic derailing progress in many locations, global life expectancy increased by 6.2 years between 1990 and 2021. Life expectancy in Eastern sub-Saharan Africa jumped by 10.7 years, the most significant increase. In the super-region of Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania, it grew by 8.3 years, and in South Asia, by 7.8 years. These major leaps in life expectancy are due to better control of diarrheal diseases, lower respiratory infections, strokes, and ischemic heart disease. The study demonstrates how disease patterns have shifted across locations over time, presenting an “opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies…[which] might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented.”
