Life expectancy in the richest
countries of the world now exceeds the poorest by more than 30 years, figures
show. The gap is widening across the world, with Western countries and the
growing economies of Latin America and the Far East advancing more rapidly than
Africa and the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Average life expectancy in Britain and similar countries of the OECD was 78.8 in
2000-05, an increase of more than seven years since 1970-75 and almost 30 years
over the past century. In sub-Saharan Africa, life expectancy has increased by
just four months since 1970, to 46.1 years.
The result is that even within rich countries such as Britain there are striking
inequalities in life expectancy. The poorest men in Glasgow have a life
expectancy of 54, lower than the average in India. The answer, the report says,
is empowerment, of individuals, communities and whole countries. "Technical and
medical solutions such as medical care are without doubt necessary. But they are
insufficient."
Infant mortality is still twice as high among the poor in Britain, but the rates
have come down dramatically to 7 per 1,000 among the poor and 3.5 among the
rich. Professor Marmot said: "We have made dramatic progress, but this is not
about abolishing the rankings -- there will always be hierarchies -- but by
identifying the ill effects of hierarchies we can make huge improvements."