Latin Americans are living a lot longer than they used to, according to a recent study by the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO. The average life expectancy skyrocketed from 29 years in 1900 to 74 years in 2010.
The report was presented at the 28th Pan American Health Conference in Washington and analyzes the advances made in the region in improving health, according to a recent FoxLatinoNews article. Children fared better in the study, according to PAHO. Ninety-eight percent of Latin American children in the region live past the age of 1, but a century ago, only 75 percent survived. The report warns that inequalities still exist between Latin American countries that could threaten those advances.
Public spending on health care in recent years has increased, but 274 million citizens still don’t have health insurance. There large gaps between rich and poor countries in Latin America, and in rural populations, which have a harder time accessing to health care. PAHO says life expectancy in Chile is 79.2 years, while in Bolivia it is 66.8 years.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the population of the Americas was 194 million and in 2010 it exceeded 940 million, and estimates are that in 2020 it will total 1.03 billion, equivalent to 13.4 percent of the world population.
The Americas are the most urbanized region in the world, according to the report, and it is expected that by 2025 the region will be home to nine of the world’s 30 largest cities: Sao Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Lima and Chicago.
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