The average life expectancy in Bangladesh has gone up by around three years, from 67.7 years in 2010 to 70.7 years in 2014, according to a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics study.
Released yesterday, the study on Sample Vital Registration System, revealed that female population is living longer than the males, as life expectancy of females increased from 68.8 years to 71.6 years, whereas for males, it increased from 66.6 years to 69.1 years between 2010 and 2014.
This means life expectancy at birth increased by 0.60 years annually on an average over the last five years.
“Improved communication, rising health awareness, development of healthcare facilities and economic development are the prime reasons for increased life expectancy,” said Dr Md Munirul Islam, a scientist at the Icddrb.
The World Health Organisation defines life expectancy as the average number of years a person is expected to live on the basis of the current mortality rates and prevalent healthcare facilities in a population.
In 1980, the average life expectancy in Bangladesh was around 48 years, which steadily climbed to around 60 years in 1990, 65 in 2000 and 67.7 in 2010.
The overall health indicators have also shown significant improvements across the country over the past five years.
Infant mortality ratio came down to 31 per 1,000 live births in 2014 from 36 in 2010, and the death rate declined from 5.6 in 2010 to 5.2 in 2014, the study found.
Maternal mortality ratio also consistently declined in the last five years.
