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- On average, the life expectancy of people living in developing countries rose from 55
years in 1970 to 65 years in 1997, but it still lagged far behind that of OECD countries,
which was 78 years in 1997 (Table 8).
- Thirty-three countries have seen life expectancy decline since 1990. Most are
countries hit by the AIDS epidemics. 8 countries lost more than three years (Table 9).
Actual or projected data on infant mortality are available up to 1997 for most
countries. These indicate progress between 1990 and 1997 in all regions, apart from
Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where there was a slight deterioration in 1997. But the
reductions in infant mortality in East Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, South Asia
and Sub-Saharan Africa over the last seven years, which were of the order of 10 percent,
appear too slow to meet the target set in the International Development Goals for 2015 (a
two-third reduction over 1990 levels) (Table 10).
Mortality rates have been declining with rising output. However, even assuming high output
growth, infant and child mortality rates would be substantially above the IDG target in
2015.
Some countries have lost ground over the 1990s. Kenya saw its infant mortality rate rise
from 62 to 74, while Zimbabwe's went from 53 to 69.
- Maternal mortality rates also show mixed results. The international goals call for
reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015, but significant improvements have
not been seen. In several developing countries, still more than 1000 women die for each
100,000 live births (Table 11).
Table 8. Trends in life expectancy, 1970-1997
(years of life)
Region |
1970 |
1982 |
1993 |
1997 |
| East Asia and Pacific |
59 |
65 |
68 |
68 |
| Europe and Central Asia |
67 |
68 |
69 |
69 |
| Latin America and Caribbean |
61 |
66 |
69 |
70 |
| Middle East and North Africa |
53 |
60 |
66 |
67 |
| South Asia |
49 |
55 |
60 |
62 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa |
44 |
48 |
52 |
52 |
| Developing
Countries |
55 |
61 |
65 |
65 |
| OECD |
71 |
74 |
77 |
78 |
Source: World Development Indicators.
Table 9. Declines in life expectancy since 1990 (years of life)
| Botswana |
-9.5 |
|
Zimbabwe |
-3.8 |
| Zambia |
-6.0 |
|
Kazakhstan |
-3.4 |
| Kenya |
-5.1 |
|
Iraq |
-3.3 |
| Uganda |
-4.3 |
|
Cote d'Ivoire |
-3.1 |
Source: World Development Indicators.
Region |
1970 |
1990 |
1992 |
1996 |
1997 |
Reduction
1990-1997 |
| East Asia & Pacific |
77 |
42 |
44 |
39 |
38 |
10% |
| Europe & Central Asia |
46 |
28 |
28 |
24 |
25 |
9% |
| Latin America & Caribbean |
83 |
42 |
38 |
33 |
32 |
24% |
| Middle East & North Africa |
135 |
61 |
60 |
50 |
48 |
21% |
| South Asia |
138 |
87 |
85 |
.. |
77 |
12% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa |
132 |
100 |
97 |
91 |
90 |
10% |
| Developing
countries |
107 |
66 |
65 |
59 |
58 |
12% |
| OECD |
22 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
25% |
Data are shown only for some years due to availability. Source: World
Development Indicators
Table 11. Countries with the highest maternal
mortality rates between 1990 and 1993 (per 100,000 live births)
| Country |
Maternal Mortality Rate |
|
Country |
Maternal Mortality Rate |
| Sierra Leone |
1,800 |
|
Eritrea |
1,400 |
| Afghanistan |
1,700 |
|
Ethiopia |
1,400 |
| Somalia |
1,600 |
|
Burundi |
1,300 |
| Angola |
1,500 |
|
Rwanda |
1,300 |
| Mozambique |
1,500 |
|
The Gambia |
1,000 |
| Nepal |
1,500 |
|
Nigeria |
1,000 |
Source: World Bank economic and social database.
A recent study using data from nationally representative surveys for 19 countries looks
at how three indicators of malnutrition (wasting—low weight for height;
stunting—low height for age; underweight—low weight for age) vary by income
level. The study does find that malnutrition indicators are worse for the poor:
- Wasting, stunting and underweight are higher amongst the poor in almost all countries.
- The difference between the poor and the non-poor is less pronounced for wasting, which
is the more short-term indicator.
- Differences between poor and non-poor vary across countries: in Peru, the rates of
underweight and stunting amongst the poorest 20 percent are nearly five times those
amongst the richest 20 percent; in Egypt the gaps are far smaller.
- Interestingly, poor-non-poor differences tend to be smaller in countries where average
rates are highest (e.g. Bangladesh), and larger in countries where average rates are
lowest (e.g. Peru).
Next: Health status and health care services for the poor
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