Jan 25, 2012
Poverty in the Philippines: Life Expectancy
(Note: This piece is a segment from a larger article “Poverty in the Philippines: A Profile”, showcased in Focus-Philippines’ upcoming Poverty Policy Review)
Life Expectancy— National level
| Life Expectancy | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Female | 72.00 | 72.35 | 72.69 | 73.00 | 73.03 | 73.59 | 73.86 | 74.13 | 74.38 |
| Male | 67.74 | 68.05 | 68.35 | 68.63 | 68.90 | 69.16 | 69.41 | 69.65 | 69.89 |
| Total | 69.82 | 70.15 | 70.15 | 70.76 | 71.05 | 71.32 | 71.58 | 71.58 | 72.08 |
Source: World Bank— World Development Indicators (2011)
Life Expectancy— Provincial level*
|
Top Ten Provinces |
Years |
Bottom Ten Provinces |
Years |
| La Union |
74.6 |
Agusan del Norte |
63.6 |
| Bulacan |
73.4 |
Mt. Province |
62.8 |
| Ilocos Norte |
73.0 |
Apayao |
62.8 |
| Camarines Sur |
73.0 |
Palawan |
62.7 |
| Benguet |
72.9 |
Kalinga |
61.9 |
| Cebu |
72.6 |
Ifugao |
61.2 |
| Batangas |
72.6 |
Lanao del Sur |
58.7 |
| Pampanga |
72.4 |
Maguindanao |
57.6 |
| Cagayan |
72.0 |
Sulu |
55.5 |
| Albay |
71.9 |
Tawi-Tawi |
53.4 |
Source: Philippine Human Development Network
*2006 projections of 1995 and 2000 life expectancy estimates
A key measure of the health status of the poor lies in the extent of their life expectancy at birth. While the Philippines manifests an improving record on this indicator throughout the years, a more careful scrutiny of different provincial experiences exposes a more varied record.
Although there are provinces which certainly perform better than the norm such as La Union (74.6), there have also been a larger number of provinces whose performance has been paltry by comparison. Maguindanao (57.6), Tawi-Tawi (53.4), and Agusan del Norte (63.6) are among these provinces, and the fact that they are also among the poorer provinces, holding more poor people as a share of their total population, is a commonly noted observation.