The average life expectancy rate in the country dropped to 72.3 years in 2021 from 72.8 years in 2020, most likely affected by Covid-19 pandemic, says Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
BBS revealed the information at a function during publication of a survey titled "Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2021" at its auditorium in the capital on Monday.
Planning Minister MA Mannan attended the programme as the chief guest while State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam, among others, was present.
According to the survey data, the average life expectancy of women is higher than that of men.
The BBS data shows that the life expectancy for males in the country currently is 70.6 years, while that for females is 74.1 years.
In 2020, the life expectancy for men was 71.2 years and that for women was 74.5 years.
According to the BBS, the average life expectancy in Bangladesh was 67.2 years in 2009.
“Death increased about two and a half times during Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the average life expectancy has decreased slightly. Death rate is high among people over 40 years of age,” said Alamgir Hossain, project director of the survey.
Meanwhile, the crude death rate, number of deaths occurring during the year per 1000 of the population, increased to 5.7 in 2021 from 5.1 in 2020, he added.
The reasons for higher mortality and fall in life expectancy rate could possibly be explained by the Covid-19 pandemic, Alamgir Hossain said.
However, there has been progress, overall, in Bangladesh's health sector over the last decade as the population's average life expectancy has increased, and the rate of child and maternal deaths decreased.
Communicable diseases like tuberculosis, malaria and polio are on the verge of eradication while the treatment of diarrhoea and pneumonia has improved.
However, non-communicable diseases have emerged as a new challenge in the country.
The rate of those being affected by or dying from different types of non-communicable diseases, like cancer, diabetes and heart disease, is on the rise.
The cost of medical treatment rose over the decade as the health sector has been increasingly privatised.
The average life expectancy of a population is an important indicator for assessing any health system.
