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29 March 2024

People in UAE, Qatar, Kuwait live longer

Published
By Staff

The people of the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait live longer than those in other Arab countries while the UAE has the lowest infant mortality rate in the region, according to official data.

Qatar, one of the richest nations, had the highest life expectancy in the region, standing at 78 years in 2008, showed the figures, published in the Arab League’s annual economic and social report.

Kuwait came second with a rate of 77.4 years followed by the UAE, which has a life expectancy rate of 76.9 years, the report showed.

It put the rate at 75.7 years in Algeria, 74.8 years in Bahrain, 74.5 years in Tunisia, 73.4 years in Saudi Arabia, and 73.2 years in Lebanon.
Djibouti, one of the poorest nations, had the lowest life expectancy rate in the Arab world, standing at only 43.3 years in 2008.

Other countries with low rates included conflict-battered Somalia, with a rate of 47 years, Sudan with 57.5 years, Mauritania with 60.3 years and Yemen with 61.6 years.

Iran, which had suffered from three major wars over the past 39 years, also had a low life expectancy rate of 60.6 years.
Experts attributed the high life expectancy rate in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait to massive spending on the health sector, allowing all citizens to have access to advanced medical services.

The report showed services also allowed the UAE to have the lowest infant mortality rate in the region, standing at seven per 1,000 in 2008.

The rate was also as low as 7.7 per 1,000 in Qatar, and nine per 1,000 in Kuwait and Oman. Countries with high infant death rate include Somalia with 119 per 1,000, Djibouti with 76 per 1,000, Mauritania with 76 per 1,000, Sudan with 75 per 1,000 and Yemen with 53 per 1,000.