Many are interested in the question of what is life expectancy in Russia? Life expectancy is one of the most important indicators of a country's well-being. It is influenced by a whole range of factors: material we alth, social and personal well-being, lifestyle, the state of medicine, the ecological situation, the level of education and culture, and others. This indicator reflects the situation in the country better than GDP per capita. Average life expectancy in Russia is one of the lowest in the world.
What is the average life expectancy
The average life expectancy in Russia is 66 years. At the same time, for men, it is only about 59 years old, while for women it is 73 years old. Although in all countries women live longer than men, such a large difference in life expectancy among representativesdifferent sexes is typical for Russia. This is probably due to the peculiarities of the lifestyle of Russian men. In the future, this gap, according to the UN, will decrease.
Average life expectancy in Russia by years
In the past, the inhabitants of Russia lived for about the same number of years as the inhabitants of developed countries. Due to frequent epidemics, wars, famine and hard work, most of the inhabitants of our country lived to be only 30-40 years old. Now such a length of life is observed only in some African states. An increase in life expectancy was observed in the Soviet years. Before Yeltsin came to power, it was stably held in the region of 68 years.
In the 1990s, mortality increased sharply, which was associated not only with the spread of drunkenness, HIV and drug addiction, but also with a drop in citizens' incomes. The number of homeless people and suicide cases has sharply increased. Many have ceased to feel in demand in society. The decline in pensions had a particularly strong impact, which sharply worsened the well-being of pensioners. However, life expectancy has not been reduced by much - on average, by only 3-4 years. It is possible that the improvement of the environmental situation has affected here, for example, in connection with the reduction in the use of pesticides and the shutdown of a number of industries.
Until 2006, a similar picture remained, despite the growth in the level of well-being of citizens. However, since 2006 there has been a steady increase in this indicator, which is likely to continue. In 2014, the Russians lived for a little over seventy years. Despite the crisis and declinematerial prosperity in recent years, the length of life of Russians has not decreased, but, on the contrary, has grown. At least that's what official statistics say.
Reasons for growth
The reasons for the increase in life expectancy in recent years could be the anti-smoking program, the closure of a number of industries, the emergence of better drugs, the transition to environmentally friendly gasoline and the government's policy to promote he althy lifestyles and sports. It is also impossible not to note the fact that for all the scarcity of modern pensions, they still remain at a relatively tolerable level and are often indexed. What can not be said about the salaries of state employees.
Russia's place among other countries
In the list of countries by life expectancy, Russia has recently been in 129th place. Ahead of us are such seemingly backward countries as India, Tuvalu, Bangladesh. People there live 2-3 years longer. At the same time, in African countries, the duration is much shorter. However, these figures are averages, and now the situation may be different. So, according to data in recent years, Russia's position in the list has shifted for the better, and now our country occupies the 116th line. People in Ukraine still live longer, but the gap has narrowed. However, the duration there has also increased markedly, despite the crisis.
Thus, increases are observed in all countries, but with different intensity.
General situation in the world
If you look at the duration mapof life in the world, the longest-lived population is Western Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. All of these are advanced economies. The minimum indicators are observed in African countries, which are also the most backward in economic terms. This indicates the need for development in our country, first of all, the economic and social sectors. But at the same time, production should be as clean as possible from an environmental point of view.
What affects the life expectancy of citizens
Methods for calculating average life expectancy are quite complex. For example, they do not take into account infant mortality. When people talk about life expectancy, they mean exactly the adult and elderly population.
According to statistics, the most significant factor influencing how long a person will live is lifestyle. The he alth of the nation depends on it by about 50%. It is well known that smoking and drinking shorten life and spoil he alth. According to the World He alth Organization, 60% of smokers in Western Europe are citizens of our country. Drunkenness is widespread in some regions of Russia. Moreover, the quality of alcohol in our country is much lower than in Western countries. Most people in middle and older age do not show the necessary physical activity. We also traditionally have a bad attitude towards the environment. Food products are produced without regard to medical standards. Thus, the attitude of our compatriots to their he alth leaves much to be desired, which is oneone of the main reasons for the low life expectancy of Russians.
He alth is second. It is also not well developed in our country. In some areas there are no he alth care centers at all. The he alth care situation is the most painful place in modern Russia. In the USSR, it was only slightly better. The level of medical care, especially in provincial cities and towns, occupies a very shameful place in the list of countries in the world. And while there is no positive trend in this area.
In third place is the environmental situation. Thanks to our low population density, our environment is better than in densely populated countries such as India and China. However, the attitude towards nature conservation leaves much to be desired, and the ecological situation varies greatly depending on the region - from almost ideal to critical. As well as medicine, we do not pay enough attention to the environment.
The level of material well-being also has a direct impact. A person with a good income can afford quality treatment, rest in a sanatorium, the best food and quality alcohol, as well as good environmentally friendly housing. The one who barely makes ends meet is practically deprived of all this. In their case, it is not about caring for he alth, but about survival. The probability of death in hard, low-paid work is often also higher, plus occupational hazard. An additional negative factor for people with low incomes is depression and loss of morale, which also has a stronginfluence.
Factors of Russian reality
Some researchers have found that even corruption affects he alth. The lack of stability and the low level of social support that have haunted Russians since the collapse of the USSR also affect the he alth of citizens. Now a person can lose his job at any time, and employers have begun to make higher demands on employees. Often people recycle. However, these negative factors are more likely to affect representatives of the younger generation of Russians than pensioners. While in the 1990s absolutely everyone was hostage to the situation. Naturally, this situation had a stronger effect on the life expectancy of Russians.
Life expectancy for men and women in Russia
Life expectancy depends on a person's gender. The average life expectancy of women in Russia is much longer than that of men. At the same time, their dynamics are largely the same. However, in men, the jumps are sharper than in women. In Russia, the gap in terms of indicators is greater than in most other countries of the world. All this means that men in our country more often do not live to the required age due to socio-economic reasons. In 2015, the average life expectancy for women was 76.7 years, and for men - 65.9. Despite the fact that chronic diseases are not as common in rural areas as in cities, people there live 2 years less. Obviously, this is due to the high level of alcoholism and smoking among the rural population.
In developed countriesThe difference in life expectancy between men and women is very small. For example, in Japan, women live an average of 85.1 years, while men live 82.4 years. The situation is similar in other developed countries. The average life expectancy of men in Russia is one of the lowest in the world.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is often seen as synonymous with average life expectancy. A very important indicator of demographics. It is traditionally understood as the life expectancy at birth (at the age of 0 years). In developed countries, this figure is currently 78 years and 82 years for men and women, respectively. Regarding life expectancy in Russia, the opinions of the Russian authorities are not the same, due to the complexity of its forecast. On average, it is 10-15 years less.
Life expectancy by regions of Russia
Russia is a multinational country and each region has its own way of life and traditions. Although all nations are genetically equal, lifestyles and perceptions of the environment can vary greatly.
The most long-lived are the non-drinking regions of the country - the North Caucasian republics, the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Tatarstan, as well as the most prosperous cities and regions: Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. Moreover, Moscow is in second place according to this indicator - more than 76 years. On the first place is Ingushetia - almost 79 years. These regions also have significantly lower life-length gaps between men and women.
Many regions of the middle zone, the north of the European territory of Russia, Siberia and the Far East are outsiders. Obviously, this is due to the high proportion of the drinking population and the low standard of living. In last place is the Republic of Tyva. Here, the highest figure is barely 62.
How to improve life expectancy of the population
Many states are engaged in increasing the life expectancy of the population. To get the maximum result, you must act immediately in all directions:
- Promotion of a he althy lifestyle, sports, quitting smoking and drinking, providing the population with high-quality reliable information on disease prevention, etc.
- Improving the quality of life of pensioners: the creation of sanatoriums, rest houses, interest clubs, increasing pensions and improving the quality of medical care, etc.
- Improving the environment, improving the quality of food and medicine, etc.
All these measures are being implemented in developed countries, but have not yet been widely adopted in our country.
Conclusion
Thus, life expectancy is one of the main factors of a country's well-being. In Russia, this figure is very low, although the situation is gradually improving. Despite the work of the authorities in this direction, many problems affecting the length of life of Russians remain unresolved. This is especially true for medicine and ecology.
In Russia, disregard for one's he alth ismajor factor in reducing life expectancy. Also in our country there is a very large gap between the average life expectancy of men and women. This gap is gradually closing.
Life expectancy in Russia strongly depends on the region where a person lives. This is due to the difference in the ecological situation, traditions, lifestyle and attitude to the world around. The champion in life expectancy in Russia is the North Caucasus region.
