The modern civilization brings many enhancements to the everyday life of people, a lot of which are not available in the 10 countries with shortest life expectancy. While we can all enjoy running water, electricity and readily available health care most of the time, some, if not many, people are not so fortunate. Plagued by rampant violence, corruption, diseases and a severe lack of essential means of survival, life in these places remains almost the same as it was a century ago.
Unlike the 15 healthiest countries, living in these places is an eternal struggle. You can not wake up, make a warm cup of coffee and read the morning paper. You wake up and start fighting to survive every day, be it by hard labor under the scorching sun or by looking for a way to make ends meet. Not many people in these countries manage to do the latter, however. All of these countries are located on the lush lands of Africa. Notoriously unadvanced in the majority of modern-day industrial branches, many of the countries on the continent still rely on agriculture to support their population. There are also the still borderline primitive ways of harvesting natural resources such as fossil fuels and valuable minerals. The apparent availability of precious resources such as gold and diamonds in these countries still does not help them get up on their feet since locals can only work for whoever gets to the source first. Political corruption and frequent violent revolutions and government changes leave these states with little to no stability in whatever economy they manage to have.
So, for the sake of knowledge or to make you more grateful for the life you have right now and all its comfort and safety, let’s take a look at the ten countries with the shortest life expectancy (according to the World Health Organization).
10.Angola
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 52
Also known as the Republic of Angola, this is the seventh biggest country in Africa and the one with the highest life expectancy on our list. Violent epidemics of more diseases than even a nurse can’t name, make sure that the mortality rates stay at an all time high. Angola also has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.
9.Chad
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 51
Chad is another place where you would not want to be stranded. Chad, which is also the fifth biggest country on the continent, has been in a humanitarian crisis for well over a decade. Aside from rampant disease there, wars, rebellions and violent conflicts of all sorts continue to take lives to this day.
8.Mali
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 51
Mali’s low life expectancy is mainly attributed to malnutrition, lack of hygiene or any sort of sanitary aids. This not only spreads disease but also makes it harder for people to fight it off and heal. Mali has very limited medical facilities, the only hope for it being whatever humanitarian aids various organizations try to offer.
7.Lesotho
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 51
Lesotho is a country you might not have heard of. It is completely landlocked, meaning that it is surrounded on all borders by South Africa with no chance to expand. One of the biggest factors that affect its life expectancy is the severe spreading of HIV/AIDS among the population. This epidemic has been estimated to have reached such severity that half of the female population under forty is said to be HIV positive.
6.Guinea Bissau
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 50
Having won its independence from Portuguese Guinea relatively recently, Guinea Bissau is another miniscule country on the northwest coast of the Continent. This country is also heavily damaged by widespread HIV/AIDS and cholera. Its high maternal and child mortality rates help it make the sixth position on our list.
5.Swaziland
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 50
Swaziland is a country where more than half the population is under twenty five years old. Not because there is such a high birth rate but because the life expectancy is roughly double that. According to a WHO research, more than sixty percent of the deaths in the country were caused by HIV/AIDS.
4.Somalia
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 50
Notorious for being the home of modern day piracy (of the marine sort), Somalia has some of the lowest rates of HIV spreading on the continent. Even so, various violent conflicts, extreme poverty and the lack of modern day sanitation and healthcare make Somalia one of the countries with the shortest life expectancy.
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3.Democratic Republic of the Congo
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 49.5
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has seen better days. Since the civil wars that erupted there in the mid nineties, the country has been in a constant state of crisis. By the turn of the century the war and its consequences had killed close to six million of Congo’s population. Most of these casualties were not because of the violent conflict but the result of the rampant disease.
2.Central African Republic
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 48.5
Given its geographical location, the CAR has been in the middle of numerous violent conflicts between neighboring countries. This has ultimately decreased it close to the country with the highest mortality rate. However, the Central African Republic still isn’t the last on our list due to the slight ray of hope that its abundant natural resources shed on it.
1.Sierra Leone
WHO Combined Life Expectancy – 38
Sierra Leone may seem like a better place than it is. Huge deposits of gold, diamonds, various other minerals and resources, combined with one of the largest harbors in the continent may make you think that. However, it falls casualty to poverty. Extreme, unfathomable poverty which ultimately beats disease and war to making Sierra Leone the ultimate of the 10 countries with the shortest life expectancy.
