India has a long way to go before it matches average life expectancy with other Asian countries. According to CIA-The World Fact book, China has the highest life expectancy at 78.32, Malaysia 74.20, Sri lanka 72.40, Indonesia 70.70, and Pakistan 65.50. India has shot up to 62.6 years for males and 64.2 years for females in 2006, as per the report released by the World Health Organization.
So what do these numbers tell us about the health of Indians? Life expectancy at birth is one of the best-known measures of a population’s health status and overall status of the healthcare sector. Life expectancy and overall health of Indians has improved consistently to 62.6 for males and 64.2 for females since Independence.
Tables given below depict a picture of life expectancy at birth, 1901-2006
| Longevity Divide | ||||||
| Expectation of life at birth (years) | Male | Female | State | Male | Female | |
| 1901 | 23.6 | 24 | Kerala | 71.4 | 76.3 | |
| 1931 | 26.9 | 26.6 | Punjab | 68.4 | 70.4 | |
| 1941 | 32.1 | 31.4 | Himachal Pradesh | 66.5 | 67.3 | |
| 1951 | 32.5 | 31.7 | Maharashtra | 66.0 | 68.4 | |
| 1961 | 41.9 | 40.6 | Haryana | 65.9 | 66.3 | |
| 1971 | 46.4 | 44.7 | Tamil Nadu | 65.0 | 67.4 | |
| 1980 | 54.1 | 54.7 | West Bengal | 64.1 | 65.8 | |
| 1991 | 58.1 | 58.6 | Karnataka | 63.6 | 67.1 | |
| 2001 | 62.3 | 63.9 | Andhra Pradesh | 62.9 | 65.5 | |
| 2006 | 62.6 | 64.2 | Gujarat | 62.9 | 65.2 | |
| India Ages (Source: Planning Commission) | INDIA | 62.6 | 64.2 | |||
| Bihar | 62.2 | 60.4 | ||||
| Rajasthan | 61.5 | 62.3 | ||||
| Uttar Pradesh | 60.3 | 59.5 | ||||
| Orissa | 59.5 | 59.6 | ||||
| Assam | 58.6 | 59.3 | ||||
| Madhya Pradesh | 58.1 | 57.9 | ||||
| Life expectancy at birth (years) 2002-06
Source: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare |
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