The last few years saw an increase in the Life Expectancy of people living in Nigeria. Data from the World Bank showed that in Nigeria, the female gender life expectancy (55.24 years) is higher than their male counterparts (53.45 years).
Data further revealed that as of 2018, life expectancy in Nigeria is 54.33 years.
According to UNICEF, life expectancy is the number of years newborn children would live subject to the mortality risks prevailing for the population’s cross-section at the time of their birth.
The 80s and 90s saw a slight decrease in Nigeria’s life expectancy due to the rise of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. According to WHO, the 2000 – 2016 increase in life expectancy was the greatest in the African Region. Life expectancy increased by 10.3 years to 61.2 years, driven mainly by improvements in child survival and expanded access to antiretroviral for treatment of HIV. Global average life expectancy increased by 5.5 years between 2000 and 2016, the fastest increase since the 1960s.
World Bank’s data shows that Nigeria’s male life expectancy was 53.45 years in 2018, with Dataphyte projecting the male life expectancy to be 54.18 years in 2020, 57.85 years in 2030, and 61.52 years by 2040.
Also, the life expectancy for Females in Nigeria was 55.24 years in 2018 and projected to be 56.05 years in 2020, 60.09 years by 2030, and 64.13 years by 2040. Data shows the female life expectancy in Nigeria is higher than that of their male counterparts in Nigeria.
A statement released by WHO says that “Women generally live longer than males – on average by six to eight years. The difference is partly due to an inherent biological advantage for the female, but it also reflects behavioural differences between men and women.”
WHO also stated that “Newborn girls are more likely to survive to their first birthday than newborn boys are,” which may result from lifetime risk behaviours such as smoking and alcohol use.