South Africans are living longer, thanks largely to the expanded rollout of HIV treatment, Statistics South Africa said this week.
Life expectancy, the average number of years a person can expect to live based on current mortality rates, has increased significantly to an estimated 66.5 years, according to the latest Mid-Year Population Estimates. In 2005, it was 53.6 years.
Female life expectancy is almost 70, while male life expectancy is almost six years less at a few months below 64.