health and human facts

Question 1

illiteracy rates

Answer 1

• adult illiteracy rates of well over 25 per cent in much of Africa and South Asia, in contrast to Europe, North Asia, Australasia and southern South America where the rate falls below five per cent.
• In much of Africa and South Asia the female literacy rate is more than a quarter below that for males.

Question 2

life expectancy

Answer 2

UK life expectancy for men is 78.4 years while it is 82.8 years for women. In the least-developed countries, the age differential is less.
For example, life expectancy in Bhutan is 68.6 years for men and 70.5 years for women.
In a few countries, the life expectancy situation is actually reversed: in Botswana it is 56.0 years for men and 52.3 for women.