MALAYSIAN DIE YOUNGER THAN PEOPLE IN CONFLICT ZONES?

PETALING JAYA - Malaysians have a lower life expectancy than citizens in conflict zones like the Gaza Strip, Israel, Syria and Libya, according to the latest figures by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook.

The country fell by four spots from last year's index to 112 out of 222 ranked countries, with an average life expectancy of 74.04 years.

It said Malaysian women would usually live up to 76.99 years, while men are expected to live up to 71.28 years.

"Life expectancy at birth is a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarises the mortality at all ages.

"It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures," CIA said in its publication.

It also said Malaysia ranked 58 in the world for health expenditures, outspending other Asean countries where investments in healthcare were concerned.

Ranking first for life expectancy was Monaco at 89.68 years, with Macau (84.43 years) and Japan (83.91 years) rounding up the top three.

Singapore ranked fourth with 83.75 years. Britain stood at 30 (80.17 years), United States 51 (78.49 years), Libya 61 (77.83 years) and Brunei 77 (76.37 years).

Syria was ranked 95 (74.92 years), China at 96 (74.84 years), the Gaza Strip 110 (74.16 years), Thailand 114 (73.83 years) and Indonesia 136 (71.62 years).

A Lincoln Resource Centre official said the Factbook findings were based on several sources like the United Nations Statistical Division and the World Bank.

Source:  The Star/Asia News Network