§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will list the average life expectancy in each year since 1999 for(a) women and (b) men in Afghanistan. [119617]
§ Hilary BennThe almost continuous conflict in Afghanistan over the last 25 years means that reliable health and population data are hard to come by and where available need to be treated with much caution.
The World Bank estimates that life expectancy in Afghanistan was 40 in 1980, 42 in 1990 and 43 in 2000. It is generally thought that life expectancy is very similar for men and women.