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This indicator reports on an individuals
life expectancy at birth and reflects both the environmental
conditions of a region as well as the quality of healthcare and
living conditions of the population (DEAT, 2002). It also refers to
the number of years that a new born baby could expect to live if he
/ she were to pass through life, subject to the age-specific death
rates of
a given
period.
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| Assessment of
Data |
The life expectancy in Mpumalanga has
changed over the past few years. In 1980, the life expectancy for
the province was 57.7 years, but this figure rose to 62.4 years in
1991, but decreased again to 53.5 years in 1996. In the five year
period from 1991 to 1996, the life expectancy decreased lower than
its original level 11 years prior to 1991 (Stats SA, 2002), which
was most likely due to prevalence of HIV / AIDS
in the
province. |
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