Out of the established 224 countries on the earth, these are the bottom ten with the lowest life expectancy in the world.
There are a lot of factors that contribute to a country’s life expectancy. Some of these contributing factors are economic conditions, diet, public health, access to medical care, wars, crime rate etc. Because of this, a lot of the countries on this list are African countries plagued by poverty.
#Central African Republic (45.91)
As the country´s population has been permanently devastated by a variety of diseases and health-related problems including measles, malaria, HIV/AIDS, female genital mutilation etc., it currently has the lowest average life expectancy in the world at less than 46 years.
#Lesotho (46.02)
In the most urban areas, about 50% of women under 40 are infected with the virus. However, the situation has been slowly improving. In 2006, life expectancy in Lesotho was estimated at just 42 years while these days, it is over 46 years.
#Zimbabwe (46.59)
Zimbabwe is rich in natural resources but the country´s violent domestic policy and civil unrests have prevented it from any major development. The health system of the country collapsed, leaving the Zimbabweans with totally insufficient access to medical care.
#Guinea-Bissau (46.76)
Aid for Africa is working in Guinea-Bissau with programs that help improve health and education, create businesses and protect wildlife.Another program through Aid for Africa, called Tostan, works by using local languages and traditions to promote democracy, problem-solving, human rights, hygiene and health. Through this program, successful countries have become more prosperous as well as healthier.
#Zambia (46.93)
Once quite a prosperous country, Zambia fell into poverty after international copper prices declined in the 1970s. Since then, the country has been struggling to cope with a number of challenges including a widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic, lack of health facilities, lack of water supply and sanitation etc.
#Afghanistan (47.32)
The only non-African country on the list, Afghanistan has been known as one of the most war-torn regions in the world. With its health system badly affected by the current conflicts, the country has one of the highest maternal mortality rate in the world as well as the highest infant mortality rate in the world.
#Swaziland (47.36)
Swaziland is the only country on this list with men living, on average, longer than women. As of 2016, the top two reasons for deaths were HIV/AIDS and lower respiratory infections.However, Swaziland is one of the countries receiving help from USAID.
#Chad (48.52)
Constantly plagued by political violence and recurrent attempted coups d’état, Chad is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world. Chad’s cities face serious difficulties of municipal infrastructure; only 48% of urban residents have access to potable water and only 2% to basic sanitation.
#Mozambique (48.57)
The Mozambique Civil War (1977 – 1992) led to a great setback in the primary health system in this Southeast African country. With just 3 physicians per 100,000 people, it is very difficult for the locals to get even the very basic medical care.
#Angola (49.62)
The country´s economy is flourishing but the standard of living remains low for the majority of the population, and life expectancy and infant mortality rates in Angola are among the worst in the world.
