Source: World Population Prospects, the 2008 Revision. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Population Division, New York.  See: www.unpopulation.org
Note: Scale starts at age 35 to better illustrate differences between countries. Europe (48) see Glossary

China's male life expectancy at birth increased significantly in the late 1960s after the "Great Leap Forward". Today, China's male life expectancy has reached (and even exceeded) the level of male life expectancy in Europe - primarily due to exceptionally low levels of male life expectancy in Eastern Europe. Male life expectancy in China and Europe is about 5 years lower than in the United States of America.

Compared to China, India's male life expectancy has increased much slower. Today, it is more than 8 years below the level of China and more than 14 years below the level of the United States of America.

These numbers may surprise the reader of this pages - particularly the exceptionally low level of male life expectancy in Europe. However, one has to bear in mind that this low level of male life expectancy in Europe is caused by extremely low male life expectancy in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Russian Federation (which in our definition is part of Europe).

Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 by Gerhard K. Heilig. All rights reserved.