5 Countries in Africa with Shortest Life Expectancy

A recent Business Insider Africa report, using World Bank statistics, has established the five African countries with the lowest life expectancy, setting forth chronic health, economic, and security challenges in the continent.

Chad leads the list with a mere average life expectancy of 53.68 years, followed by Nigeria (53.87), Lesotho (54.91), the Central African Republic (55.48), and South Sudan (56.51).

Chad (53.68 years)
Chad’s life expectancy continues to be the world’s lowest among the lowest, a sign of entrenched poverty and persistent instability. The nation’s weak health system—described by acute shortages of healthcare workers, medicines, and operational clinics—denies many basic treatment, while maternal mortality is the second‑highest in the world at 1,140 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Nigeria (53.87 years)
Despite being Africa’s most populous nation, life expectancy in Nigeria has been relatively stagnant due to poor investment in the health sector. There has not been an increase in expenditure on healthcare in the past decade at par with population growth, resulting in excessive maternal and infant mortality as measured by high rates of child and maternal death.
CNN (54.91)

Lesotho (54.91 years)
Lesotho’s life expectancy was decimated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which at its peak had one in four of its adults infected. Although coverage of antiretroviral therapy has increased, HIV is the largest cause of lives cut short, and it results in one of the shortest lifespans in the world.

Central African Republic (55.48 years)
Decades of civil war have devastated the food and health infrastructure of the Central African Republic. Over one-third of children under age five suffer from chronic malnutrition, and with little access to care, diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrhea kill hundreds of thousands of people. Groups displaced by ongoing violence only contribute to the issue.

South Sudan (56.51 years)
The world’s newest nation continues to struggle with the effects of civil conflict. With vast swathes of its population forced to flee and health centers destroyed or understaffed, South Sudan harbours some of the worst child and maternal mortality rates on the planet. A potentially lethal cholera outbreak this season further strained an already fragile system, prompting patients to walk for miles for treatment.

Experts forecast that unless investments in primary healthcare, infrastructure, and peace settlement are sustained, the levels of life expectancy will remain stagnant at such lowly figures. They call for concerted effort from national governments, partners in the global arena, and communities to boost immunization, improve maternal healthcare, improve nutrition programs, and secure volatile regions—effort required to provide the chance for all Africans to lead longer and healthier lives.