COUNTRIES WITH THE LOWEST LIFE EXPECTANCY

BOTSWANA

53.33

Starting off our list with the lowest life expectancies is

Botswana. This mid-sized South African country of just over

2 million people enjoys relative political stability and

socioeconomic prosperity (compared to other countries on

the list). However, Botswana suffers from an HIV/AIDS

epidemic with around a quarter of its population being infected.

Therefore, it is understandable why local people only live

53.3 years on average.

NIGER

53.08

A landlocked country in West Africa, Niger faces serious

challenges due to its inhospitable desert terrain, poverty,

high fertility rates and overpopulation without birth control.

Apart from a very low life expectancy, Niger also has the

sad primacy of the world’s highest infant mortality rate

as there is not adequate nutrition for most of the

poor country´s children.

IVORY COAST

53.02

Another West African country, Ivory Coast has a relatively

high income per capita but in terms of healthcare, it still has

a lot to work on. There is an enormous lack of physicians

in the country (only 12 physicians per 100,000 people) and

more than a third of local women undergo female genital

mutilation, an extremely painful practice as a result of which

many girls and women die. Moreover, HIV/AIDS

is also a significant problem.

GUINEA

52.44

Home to about 10.5 million people, Guinea is where the

infamous 2014 Ebola epidemic originated. Apart from this

virus, the country struggles to cope with several other

deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. Degradation

of care practices, limited access to medical services,

inadequate hygiene practices and a lack of food diversity

are also reasons why the Guineans only live 52.44 years

on average.

UGANDA

52.24

The world’s second most populous landlocked country,

Uganda has been suffering from frequent conflicts,

including a lengthy civil war which has caused tens of

thousands of casualties and displaced more than a

million people. Uganda has achieved some partial

successes in their fight against HIV/AIDS but death from

pregnancy-related complications and very high infant

mortality remain considerable problems in this

East African country.

MALAWI

51.55

One of the smallest African countries, Malawi is a poor, rural

country that has been failing to improve its under-developed

healthcare. While Malawi has been making some progress on

decreasing child mortality and reducing the incidences of

HIV/AIDS and some other diseases, it still struggles with

enormous maternal mortality and female genital mutilation.

SOUTH AFRICA

51.20

As South Africa is one of the most affluent and prosperous

countries in Africa, it might be surprising to see this country

on our list but there is a good reason for that. In fact,

there is a big difference between the average life expectancy

of black South Africans (48 years) and white South Africans

(71 years). With only 16% of the population covered by

medical schemes, South Africa has an estimated 6.3 million

people living with HIV, more than any other country in the world.

NIGERIA

50.26

With its 182 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous

country in Africa and the 7th most populous country in the

world. Unfortunately, only half of the population has access

to potable water and appropriate sanitation, which, combined

with widespread sectarian violence and other socio-pathogenic

problems, has resulted in a very low average life expectancy.

SOMALIA

50.24

Located in Eastern Africa, Somalia is a poor, mid-sized

country notorious for ongoing civil war and unrests as

a number of armed factions have been competing for

influence in the country. Somalia’s public healthcare

system as well as other parts of its infrastructure were

largely destroyed during the war, leaving most of its

population without access to basic healthcare and

medical services.