Brazilian life expectancy reaches 76.4 years — MercoPress

The average life expectancy in Brazil is 76.4 years

Life expectancy fell after the COVID-19 outbreak, but is slowly recovering

A study released this week by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) shows that life expectancy at birth in South America’s largest country has reached 76.4 years. According to the Brazilian News Agency, women born in 2023 can easily live to 79.7 years, while men will live to an average of 73.1 years. Before the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the overall life expectancy was 76.2 years.

In 2020, life expectancy at birth fell to 74.8 years, and in 2021 it fell further to 72.8 years, 3.4 years less than in 2019. In 2022, life expectancy began to recover, reaching 75.4 years, but still below the level of 2019. However, by 2023, life expectancy exceeded the 2019 forecast.

The report also states that according to IBGE’s forecasts for the coming decades, life expectancy will rise to 77.8 years by 2030, 79.7 years by 2040, 81.3 years by 2050, 82.7 years by 2060 and 83.9 years by 2070.

Due to the pandemic, we experienced an external shock to mortality, which was particularly noticeable in 2021 and 2022. However, we are now observing a return to historical trends in mortality. We expect that life expectancy at birth will continue to rise over time and the gap between men and women will narrow, mainly due to the decrease in deaths from external causes,” explains Cíntia Agostinho, researcher at IBGE.

Increased life expectancy, combined with falling fertility rates, has led to an aging population. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the share of older people (60 years and older) in Brazil will rise from 8.7% in 2000 to 15.6% in 2023.

By 2070, it is expected that 37.8% of the country’s residents will be elderly, more than double the current number.

The average age of the population will rise from 28.3 years in 2000 to 35.5 years in 2023, and is expected to reach 48.4 years in 2070.

The infant mortality rate has dropped from 28.1 per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 12.4 per 1,000 in 2022, with 13.4 males and 11.4 females. Projections show that the infant mortality rate will continue to decline in the coming decades, reaching 5.8 per 1,000 in 2070, with 6.1 males and 5.4 females.