Why is Nigerians’ Life Expectancy So Low Compared to Similar Countries

[Alade Emmanuel]

The term “life expectancy” refers to the number of years a person can expect to live. By definition, life expectancy is based on an estimate of the average age that members of a particular population group will be when they die.

It is pretty surprising, and also alarming, that the life expectancy of Nigerians is so incredibly low that it has far below 60 years. An average Nigerian is expected to live below 60 years. Only a few Nigerians can possibly escape this Statistical probability.

You can practically see the comparison of Nigeria with other countries similar to Nigeria below. Why is the life expectancy so low as 55 years?

Similar Countries Ranked by Life Expectancy
Country Name	2023 Life Expectancy
Sri Lanka	77.56
Morocco	77.43
Tunisia	77.36
Honduras	75.87
Vietnam	75.77
Nicaragua	75.23
Georgia	74.24
Micronesia	74.08
El Salvador	74.06
Cabo Verde	73.58
Bangladesh	73.57
Solomon Islands	73.38
Bhutan	72.77
Egypt	72.54
Ukraine	72.50
Bolivia	72.35
Indonesia	72.32
Moldova	72.30
Uzbekistan	72.04
Philippines	71.66
Sao Tome and Principe	71.01
Vanuatu	70.99
Cambodia	70.54
Mongolia	70.53
India	70.42
Timor-Leste	70.18
Kiribati	69.17
Djibouti	67.87
Pakistan	67.79
Myanmar	67.78
Kenya	67.47
Sudan	66.09
Mauritania	65.57
Papua New Guinea	65.22
Ghana	64.94
Zambia	64.70
Angola	62.22
Republic of Congo	61.60
Eswatini	61.05
Cameroon	60.32
Nigeria	55.75

What are the factors leading to Nigerians’ low level of life expectancy in Nigeria?

[Author]

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