Nationally, life expectancy at birth for males is 68.2 years and 71.9 years for females. Jammu and Kashmir records the highest male life expectancy at 72.8 years, while Himachal Pradesh and Kerala share the highest female life expectancy at 78.0 years. Chhattisgarh ranks lowest for both sexes, with 62.3 years for males and 66.6 years for females.At age one, the average life expectancy is 69.3 years for males and 73.3 years for females. At age 60, life expectancy is 17.1 years for males and 19.3 years for females.The report also finds that female life expectancy has improved more rapidly than male life expectancy across most states. The greatest annual increase for men was recorded in Odisha, and the lowest in Haryana. For women, Uttar Pradesh showed the most significant annual gain, while Kerala saw the smallest.Professor Kumool Abbi, Director of the Population Research Centre at Panjab University, attributed higher female life expectancy in Punjab to several factors, including cultural emphasis on nutrition, low multidimensional poverty, infrastructure gains from the Green Revolution, reduced maternal mortality, access to healthcare and education, and genetic factors.“To further reduce the gender and urban-rural gaps, there is a need to move away from dependence on agriculture, raise awareness of non-communicable diseases, strengthen public healthcare, and ensure equitable access to services,” she added.
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