Trends in Life Expectancy at Birth between Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa: Are There Any Similarities in the Factors Explaining the Population Changes?

Gilbert Habaasa, Population and Development Consult

Globally, there are remarkable gender differences in the life expectancy at birth for developed and developing countries. This study examines gender differences and the factors explaining life expectancy at birth between European Union (EU) and the African (SSA) countries. The study utilised historical data for the EU and SSA obtained from Eurostat and the World Bank for the period of 10 years from 2013 to 2022. The findings show that on average, life expectancy at birth for the EU for 2013-2022 was 89.7 years while for SSA was 60.4 years. There was a statistically significant mean difference of 2.1 years in the gender gap between the EU and SSA (t10=13.105, p<0.001). In SSA, high infant mortality and increased disease burden of tropical diseases. In conclusion, SSA continues to register low life expectancy at birth unlike the EU unless key structural and policy changes are put in place and implemented.