By Dr. Mohammed Iqtedar Husain Farooqi, New Age Islam
5 April
2021
Life
expectancy of most of the Muslim countries has increased sharply during the
last few decades. Compared to the Data of 1960 when average age in Muslim World
was hardly 45, this average in 2018 was raised well above 60 years. Thirty
Muslim majority courtiers have the average between 70 to 81years as reported by
WHO. Eleven countries have the age between 60 to 70 years and the rest nine,
mostly from Central and Western Africa,
below 60, the lowest being 53 in Somalia. Highest average age of 81
years for 2018 has been reported in Jordan ( from 54 years in 1960) followed by
Bosnia, 80 (59 in 1960), Albania79 (61 in 1960), Bahrain 79 (49 in 1960), Qatar79 ( 59 in 1960), U. A. E. 78 (50 in 1960), Brunei 78 (61 in 1960), Kuwait 78 ( 59 in
1960), Tunisia 77 (41 in 1960), Lebanon 77 (62 in 1960), Morocco 77 (47 in
1960), Saudi Arabia 76 (44 in
1960), Algeria 76 (45 in 1960), Oman 76
(42 in 1960) and Syria76 (52 in 1960).
Some largely populated Muslim countries also showed sizeable increase in the
average age like Malaysia at 75 (59 in 1960), Turkey 74 (42 in 1960) Egypt 74
(47 in 1960), Indonesia 73 (47 in
1960), Iraq73 (46 in 1960), Iran 72 (46
in 1960), Bangladesh 72 (46 in
1960), and Pakistan 68 (46 in 1960) All the countries coming out of Soviet Union
and becoming Independent like Azerbaijan (73 years), Kazakhstan (71),
Kyrgyzstan (72), Tajikistan (68), Turkmenistan (71), and Uzbekistan (74) have
quite the high average age.
Higher
average age in the Islamic world is the result of greater attention towards
healthcare and consequently lesser infant mortality rate. It is heartening to
note that average mortality rate of 200 deaths per 1000 live birth during 1950
dropped to an average of 50 deaths per thousand in 2015. Twenty seven countries
recorded the average of less than 25 deaths per thousand. Lowest mortality rate
drop has been recorded in Brunei where the average dropped to 4/1000 deaths in
2015 from 81/1000 in 1950.
Others
countries with significant drops are UAE (6 from 181), Qatar (6 from 106),
Kuwait (7 from123), Bahrain (7 from 172), Malaysia (7 from 102), Oman (7 from
211), Lebanon (8 from 68), Turkey (13 from 217), Saudi Arabia (14 from 201),
Kazakhstan (14 from 110), Iran (15 from 220), Jordan (15 from 147).
Unfortunately four largest Muslim countries have not been able to improve
healthcare facilities to the desired level so as to check infant mortality
significantly. These are Indonesia (24 from 192), Bangladesh (33 from 220),
Pakistan (56 from 255) and Nigeria (73 from 200). It is important to note that
that the average infant mortality rate in advanced countries, including Europe,
U.S., Canada, Japan and Australia was 4/1000 in 2015 as against average of
20/1000 in 1950. World average life expectancy is 70 years.
With the
present population of 1.78 billion (est. 2016), Muslims constitutes 25% of
world’s population. It is also claimed that faster growth than the Replacement Level of 2.1
fertility Rate of Muslim population will
create many problems in the Islamic World including law and order as well as
the break on the efforts for economic prosperity. But recent surveys conducted
by Agencies like World Bank and others give a different picture. These surveys
show that rise of Muslim population is not as fast and as dramatic as it is projected,
sometimes with bad intentions.
What comes
out from these Surveys is that the trend of fast growth of Muslims population
around the world has been checked drastically during the last three decades.
Birth rate per woman has fallen appreciably among Muslim communities and,
therefore, their population is not increasing as speedily as some people
wrongly believe. This is largely due to the fact that literacy in Muslim world
has increased and economy of many countries has improved. Greater literacy rate
is directly linked with the fall of growth of population because it is the main
factor for maintaining Fertility Rate to a reasonable limit. Successful efforts for economic prosperity of
common man (eradication of poverty), greater life expectancy, healthcare
awareness, particularly for women (mother) and children, emancipation
(empowerment) of women, are the other major causes for the fall of the birth
rate in Muslim societies throughout the world.
As far as
Fertility Rate (Births per Woman) in Islamic World is concerned, barring few
poor countries of Africa, most Muslim
countries have shown drastic drop in birth rates per woman from 5 to 8 births
in 1960 to 1.7 to 4 births in 2018 (Fertility rate-The World Factbook).
Fifteen
Muslim countries have been reported to have the fertility (birth rate per
women) of 2.1 (world replacement Level) or less. Important amongst them are
Iran (1.6 from 6.9 in 1960), U.A.E. (1.7 from 6.9 in 1960), Kuwait (1.9 from
7.2), Bahrain (1.9), Turkey (2.0), Bangladesh (2.0) and Tunisia (2.1). Another
fifteen Muslim countries have the range of 2.2 to 3.2 of fertility. Important
amongst them being Uzbekistan (2.2 from 6.7 in 1960 ), Indonesia (2.3 from 5.7
), Saudi Arabia (2.4 from 7.2 ), Morocco (2.4), Kazakhstan (2.5), Algeria (2.6),
Turkmenistan (2.7), Egypt (3.1) and Tajikistan (3.2). Six countries have the
fertility between 3.3 (Pakistan) to 4.2 (Iraq) and the rest 14 countries have
the fertility between 4.3 (Sierra Leone) to 7.1
(Niger).(Data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN).
Muslim
countries with very high rates of fertility are from Africa, mainly because of
low literacy and per capita incomes. For instances Niger with 7.1 children per
women (highest in the world) has per capita income of 407 $ and 15% literacy. Similar are the cases of Somalia (Fertility,
6.1: Lit., 39%; Per capita Income), Mali (Fertility, 5.9; Lit, 31% : Per capita
income, 827$), Chad, Burkina Faso,
Guinea etc.. Other African Muslim countries like Tunisia, Algeria,
Libya, Egypt and Morocco have fairly good records in all the parameters of
fertility rates (2.2 to 3.1), literacy
(67 to 90%) and per capita income (3 thousand to 8 thousand $). International
Agencies need to help poor African countries in their struggle to improve their
economic strength. Europe has less than 1.9 fertility rates mainly because of
their high per capita GDP and 100 % literacy. Global fertility rate in 2018 is
reported to be 2.5; 0.4 more than the replacement level.
There is a
strong possibility that with the increase in education standard, fertility
declining trend will continue in the Muslim world and the coming decade will
see the average replacement level reach to the desired limit of 2.1. All
speculations about Muslim population “EXPLOSION” theory would fail and proved to
be absolutely false.
A report in
New York Times (Jan, 27, 2011) under the heading “Forecast Sees Muslim
Population Levelling”, by Laurie Goodsteinjan states that the growth of Muslim
population “ will level off with more Muslim women getting educations and jobs,
people migrating to cities, and living standards improving”. He adds “the
birth-rate in majority-Muslim countries will come to more closely resemble the
pattern in other nations”. In his opinion, “Predictions that that Europe will
become a majority-Muslim “Eurabia” are unfounded”.
The fact is
that Fertility rate of many rich and educationally sound Muslim countries like
Iran, Malaysia, Turkey, and UAE etc. already resemble that of many European
countries. But poor and educationally backward African Muslim and non-Muslim
countries have still high rates of birth. Disputing the report that world
population will reach to 10.1 billion in 2100, Indian economist Sanjeev Sanyal
claims that birth rates worldwide will fall below replacement rates in the 2020s.
According to his projections, population growth will be only sustained till the
2040s by rising longevity, but will peak below 9 billion by 2050. (Wikipedia).
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This
Article is one of the Chapters from the book entitled MUSLIM SOCIETIES – RISE
& FALL -Revival Efforts by Dr. M. I.H. Farooqi, 2nd Ed. 2020)
Dr.
M.I.H. Farooqi : Scientist/Deputy
Director (Retired), National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow (Govt. of
India), Member of UNESCO Panel on
Quranic Botanic Gardens, Member State Biodiversity Board & Author of Plants
Of The Quran, Medicinal Plants In The Traditions Of Prophet Muhammad, Animals
Mentioned In The Quran & Dictionary Of Flora & Fauna Of Quran And
Sunnah
URL: https://newageislam.com/books-documents/life-expectancy-birth-rate-muslim/d/124653
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