Life Expectancy Dips Slightly

News Desk 

Islamabad: The country’s average life expectancy experienced a slight decline, dropping to 72.3 years in 2023 from 72.4 years recorded in 2022.

Experts attribute this decline mainly to an increase in infectious and non-communicable diseases.

Simultaneously, the population growth rate also decreased from 1.40 percent in 2022 to 1.33 percent in 2023, according to a new report from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), titled “Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2023.”

Experts have pointed to several factors for the decline in life expectancy, including the impact of COVID-19 and its aftermath, which led to reduced access to healthcare facilities, increased poverty, reduced intake of nutritious food, and changes in lifestyle.

These factors have also contributed to a rise in the crude death rate, which increased from 5.8 per thousand people in 2022 to 6.1 in 2023.

Among the top 10 causes of death highlighted in the BBS survey, cardiac arrest accounted for 1.02 percent in 2023, making it the leading cause, followed by stroke at 0.64 percent, respiratory disease at 0.57 percent, liver cancer at 0.27 percent asthma at 0.27 percent other fevers at 0.23 percent, high blood pressure at 0.22 percent, pneumonia at 0.22 percent, heart disease at 0.21percent, and diabetes at 0.21percent.

Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, a public health expert, noted that non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart attack, and stroke have seen a rise in the country. Additionally, deaths from various infectious diseases such as dengue and COVID-19 have contributed to the decrease in the average life expectancy.

Dr Be-Nazir stressed the government’s role in ensuring robust healthcare services to enhance the treatment of infections and diseases, ultimately leading to a rise in life expectancy.

Another expert in public health, M Mushtaq Hussain, highlighted a significant increase in COVID-19-related deaths over recent years, directly or indirectly impacting life expectancy.

He emphasized the urgency of addressing pandemic-related challenges to healthcare services to mitigate its adverse effects on life expectancy.

Both experts underscored the critical importance of accessible quality healthcare, sufficient healthcare infrastructure, and effective disease prevention strategies to counteract the factors contributing to declining life expectancy.

They advocated for public health strategies, investment in healthcare infrastructure, promotion of healthy lifestyles, poverty alleviation initiatives, and environmental conservation efforts to improve overall health outcomes and increase life expectancy in Bangladesh.

Regarding demographic trends, the average age at first marriage was reported as 24.2 years for men and 18.4 years for women. Internal migration patterns indicated rural arrival rates of 20.4 and urban arrival rates of 43.4 per thousand population, according to the BBS report.

Additionally, the percentage of young individuals not engaged in education, work, or training decreased to 39.88 percent in 2023 compared to 40.67 percent in 2022.

The report also noted an increase in mobile phone usage among individuals aged 5 and older, reaching 59.9 percent in 2023.

Furthermore, there was a slight uptick in the percentage of internet users aged 15 and older, rising to 74.2 percent in 2023 compared to 73.8 percent in 2022.

The sex ratio saw a slight decrease to 96.37 percent, accompanied by a dependency ratio of 53.73 percent. Population density measured at 1,179 persons per square kilometer, with a gross birth rate of 19.4 per thousand in 2023.

Regarding health metrics, the obesity mortality rate per thousand population rose to 6.1 in 2023, up from 5.8 in 2022. The under-five mortality rate stood at 33 per thousand, while the maternal mortality ratio dropped to 136 per 100,000 live births from 153 in 2022.

Furthermore, the percentage of individuals using birth control saw a slight decrease to 62.1 percent in 2023, with unmet demand for birth control decreasing to 15.57 percent.

While household size remained constant at 4.2 percent there was a noticeable increase in the proportion of female household heads, rising from 17.4 percent in 2022 to 18.9 percent in 2023. Conversely, the rate of male household heads decreased to 81.17 percent from 82.6 percent in 2022.