Women in Fiji have a higher life expectancy than men and face a wider gap in healthy adjusted life expectancy.
It has been stated in the Fiji Health Sector Review 2024 that on average there was a 10-year difference between women’s life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in 2019, compared to seven years for men.
The review also highlighted that a Fijian born today can expect to live 4.1 fewer years than would be predicted by Fiji’s national income per capita compared to other countries with similar levels of income per capita.
They say Fiji’s life expectancy at birth is low and has remained stagnant over the past three decades.
The review also highlighted that although Fiji’s life expectancy at birth has increased from 65.5 years in 1990 to 68 years in 2019, it remains considerably lower than its aspirational, structural, and regional peers.
It also highlighted that life expectancy at birth is lower than the average for lower middle-income countries, about 69 years.
They say the gap between life expectancy and the expected number of years lived in full health, the latter accounting for periods of illness and injury has widened.
The review report states that healthy-adjusted life expectancy has stagnated since 2010, while the length of time during which people are living in poor health has increased from 7.8 years in 2000 to 8.4 years in 2019.
