Revealed: Factors behind life expectancy rise in Tanzania

Analysts who spoke to The Citizen attributed the rise to the positive impact of improvement in healthcare systems and ongoing healthy living awareness campaigns.

“Currently, individuals are visiting hospitals for regular health checkups and receiving treatment that contribute to longer lives. Although we continue to grapple with various diseases, both non-communicable and otherwise, there is a growing understanding among the people,” said a behavioural expert at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science (Muhas), Prof Deodatus Kakoko.

He said other factors influencing life expectancy include appropriate health information and advice provided by various experts with regard to healthcare, adding that the dietary habits of Tanzanians are also improving.

“These practices collectively prolong life,” he said and added that living conditions have improved significantly in recent decades.

“Housing is also much better than in previous years and people have become increasingly aware of the importance of cleanliness in the prevention of epidemics,” he said

An economics lecturer at the University of Dodoma (Udom), Dr Lutengano Mwinuka, said the improvement of health delivery services has enabled many people to receive timely diagnosis and start treatment where necessary.

This, he added, has helped to increase life expectancy in Tanzania.

“Nowadays people are conscious about what they eat, while others undertake regular physical exercise. This reduces their possibility of suffering from non-communicable diseases,” Dr Mwinuka said.

In a nutshell, the 2023/24 HDR shows that Tanzania is second only to Rwanda in East Africa. Life expectancy in Rwanda is currently 67.1 years.

Burundi is third with life expectancy of 63.7 years, while Uganda and Kenya are fourth and fifth with 63.7 years and 62.1 years, respectively.

Life expectancy in the Democratic Republic of Congo is 59.7 years, while in Somalia, the newest member of the East African Community (EAC), is 56.1 years. South Sudan is last with life expectancy of 55.6 years.

Overall, the latest HDR 2023/24 reveals that there has been an uneven development progress which is leaving the poorest behind, exacerbating inequality, and stoking political polarization on a global scale.

According to the report, while the Human Development Index (HDI) is projected to reach record highs in 2023 after steep declines during 2020 and 2021, the progress is deeply uneven.

Titled Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World, the report states that while rich countries are experiencing record-high levels of human development, half of the world’s poorest countries remain below their pre-crisis level of progress.

It says a summary measure reflecting a country’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, education, and life expectancy has been partial, incomplete, and unequal.

Among the 35 least developed countries (LDCs) that experienced a decline in their HDI in 2020 and/or 2021, more than half (18 countries) have not yet recovered to their human development levels of 2019

“The widening human development gap revealed by the report shows that the two-decade trend of steadily reducing inequalities between wealthy and poor nations is now in reverse. Despite our deeply interconnected global societies, we are falling short. We must leverage our interdependence as well as our capacities to address our shared and existential challenges and ensure people’s aspirations are met,” said UNDP head  Achim Steiner.

He said the gridlock carries a significant human toll. “The failure of collective action to advance action on climate change, digitalisation or poverty and inequality not only hinders human development but also worsens polarisation and further erodes trust in people and institutions worldwide.”