10 Countries with the Shortest Life Expectancy Rate

 
As the World Health Organization has noted, there are 12,420 different types of disease, disorders, and ailments listed in its master catalog. In other words, our immune and cardiovascular systems deserve a pat on the back just for keeping us going day in and day out! In top countries in the world with regard to life expectancy, socioeconomic factors and diet, as well as access to medical care and pharmaceutical products, are the primary components that contribute to their superior longevity.
Using the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency the10 countries with the shortest life expectancy, according to the CIA's 2013 estimates: Life Expectancy at Birth, in Years
Chad 49.07
South Africa 49.48
Guinea-Bissau 49.5
Swaziland 50.01
Afghanistan 50.11
Central African Republic 50.9
Somalia 51.19
Zambia 51.51
Namibia 52.03
Gabon 52.15

To start, with the exception of Afghanistan, all of these countries are located in Africa. 36 of the 37 lowest-ranked countries in terms of life expectancy are on the African continent, with the lowest-ranked country, Chad, a full 40 years lower in life expectancy than the leading country, Monaco.

This grouping of these countries has some clear identifying traits that can help us understand why they're among the lowest in the world in terms of life expectancy. For one, poverty rates in Africa are significantly higher than anywhere else in the world. With less available disposable income to spend on food, many African nations grapple with high levels of starving citizens who have few food choices available to them. According to figures from the World Bank in 2010, 48.5 per cent of Sub-Saharan African citizens are living on $1.25 or less per day. Compare that to European and Central Asia citizens, of which just 0.7 per cent were living on $1.25 or less per day. Considerably lower income drastically eliminates healthier food choices and makes it difficult for many people in these countries to even get enough food to sustain themselves. Another problem that runs rampant throughout these African countries is disease. A heath official at WHO in 2012 proclaimed that 63 per cent of all deaths on the African continent are a direct result of infectious diseases. In 2011, for example, 1.7 million new cases of AIDS were reported. AIDS is responsible for close to 1-in-6 deaths in the region. Malaria is another major problem with more than 500 million new cases being reported annually that result in somewhere between 1 million and 3 million deaths each year. Despite these disappointing disease statistics, things are improving. The same WHO health official noted that child mortality rates for children younger than 5 have dipped from 159 deaths per 1,000 to 109 deaths per 1,000 between 2000 and 2010 while maternal mortality also decreased by one-third.