…country requires 64.4yrs life expectancy for sustainable growth -UNILAG economists

Life expectancy in Nigeria increased to 56.2 years in 2022 compared to the average life expectancy of 55.1 years in 2018, according to the latest demographic data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This indicates a marginal increase in the number of years an average Nigerian is expected to live.

By gender, an average Nigerian man is expected to live for 55.1 years while a Nigerian female is expected to live for 57.2 years, according to the latest NBS’ 2022 Statistical Report on Women and Men in Nigeria.

In 2018, the average national life expectancy for Nigerians was 55 years, and then, an average man was expected to live for 54 years while an average woman was expected to live for 56.1 years.

“Life expectancy at birth is a vital demographic and health indicator that provides insights into the overall well-being and longevity of a population. It is defined as the average number of years a newborn is expected to live, supposing that current mortality rates persist throughout their entire life and based on the prevailing mortality rates in a given country,” NBS stated.

“This statistic is a powerful tool for understanding the health and living conditions within a society. It is a vital health indicator, calculated from age-specific death rates which provides valuable insights into the overall health status of a population and allows for a gender-specific analysis of life expectancy,” it said.

In spite of the increase in Nigeria’s life expectancy, it is still far from the minimum threshold of longevity needed to spur meaningful development in the country. According to the findings of two Nigerian economists, Olukemi Lawanson and Dominic Ikoh Umar, both from the University of Lagos, Nigeria requires an average life expectancy of 64.4 years as a health improvement benchmark to engender sustainable economic development that will reduce poverty.

“Findings showed that health contributes positively to economic growth and also mitigates the adverse effect of poverty on economic growth in Nigeria. The study determined the minimum threshold of life expectancy of 64.4 years as a health improvement annual benchmar,” the scholars said in a study published in 2021.

“Therefore, for Nigeria to achieve sustainable economic growth and significant poverty reduction, policies aimed at achieving the newly determined health improvement threshold from the current annual average of 47.8 years are fundamental,” they said.

Furthermore, Cross River State has the highest average life expectancy in Nigeria, at 62.5 years, followed by Ekiti at 62 years, Ogun at 62 years, Imo at 61.4 years, and FCT at 61.4 years.

The lowest life expectancy on a state-by-state consideration is in Kaduna at 53.2 years, Borno, 52.6 years, Plateau at 52.6 years, Yobe at 51.4 years, and Adamawa at 50.3 years.

In terms of gender, men are expected to live the longest years in Cross River, Ekiti, Ogun and Imo States at 59.6 years, and in FCT at 58.4 years.

The least life expectancy for men is in Kaduna and Plateau States at 50.2 years each, then Borno, Yobe and Adamawa at 49.1 years each.

For the womenfolk, the highest life expectancy is in Cross River State at 65.4 years, followed by Ekiti, Ogun and FCT at 64.3 years each, and Imo at 63.1 years.

The least life expectancy for the womenfolk is in Kaduna and Borno, at 56.1 years each, Plateau at 54.9 years, Yobe at 53.7 years, and Adamawa at 51.4 years.

In spite of the marginal increase in life expectancy, Nigeria still has one of the lowest life expectancy rates in Africa. On a regional level, Northern Africa has the highest life expectancy in Africa. According to Statista, a Germany-based market research outfit, an average male in North Africa is expected to live for 71 years while Northern African women are expected to live for 75 years on the average.

Life expectancy is 61 years for men in East Africa and 67 years for females in the same region. Men in Southern Africa are expected to live for 59 years on the average while their women are expected to live for 65 years.

In Central Africa, men are expected to live for 58 years while their females are expected to live for 62 years.

The West African sub-region where Nigeria is based has the least life expectancy rates. Men in this sub-region are expected to live for 57 years while women are expected to live for 59 years, implying that Nigeria’s life expectancy is lower than the West African average.