Accidental Blogger

That would be in Japan and the European micro-nation of San Marino, according to a recent WHO report.  The two top the list for the highest life expectancies in the world – Japan for females and San Marino for males.

A girl born in Japan today will likely live to celebrate her 86th birthday, the longest life expectancy anywhere in the world. Men fare best in the tiny European nation of San Marino, where the average boy will live to 81, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The West African country of Sierra Leone has the shortest life expectancy for men — just 39 — while Afghanistan fares badly for both sexes, with men and women living on average to 41 and 42 years respectively.

The figures in WHO's annual World Health Statistics report are from 2007, the latest year available.

They show that some countries have made remarkable progress in increasing life expectancy since 1990 — partly by ending wars, partly through successful health initiatives.

Eritrea increased its average life expectancy by 33 years to 61 for men, and by 12 years to 65 for women. In Liberia the figure for men jumped 29 years to 54, and rose 13 years to 58 for women. Angola, Bangladesh, Maldives, Niger and East Timor also increased the average life expectancy for men and women by 10 years.

Other countries showed a sharp decline over the same period.

Women's life expectancy in Zimbabwe fell by 19 years to 44; Zimbabwean men live to 45 on average, compared to age 57 in 1990. Lesotho recorded a 16-year drop for both men and women to 43 and 47 respectively. Women in Swaziland live to 49 on average, a drop of 14 years. Men's life expectancy in the southern African country declined by 12 years to 47.

Botswana, Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia also reported significant drops in life expectancy for both sexes.

In the United States, the life expectancy for men rose to 76 from 72 years, and for women to 81 from 79 years.

The most significant indicators for lower life span and higher infant mortality continue to be poverty, war and disease. Cessation or control of any of those circumstances improves the lives of people.  The report also found the following:

• An estimated 1.2 billion people are affected by tropical diseases, such as 546 million people who were treated in 2007 to prevent the parasitic disease lymphatic filariasis (also known as elephantiasis) that causes enlargement of parts of the body.
• Availability of essential medicines at public health facilities is often poor and prices remain high, even for generic medicine.
• More than three million people in developing countries are now receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS.
• Adolescent pregnancy rates remain high. Globally, there were 48 births for every 1,000 women aged 15-19 years in 2006, down slightly from 51 per 1,000 in the year 2000.
• Out of every 100 deaths worldwide, 51 are due to noncommunicable conditions such as heart disease and cancer, 34 due to communicable, maternal or nutritional conditions; and 14 due to injuries such as traffic collisions.