ABSTRACT
In 1800, little more than 200 years ago, global average life expectancy at birth (as can best be estimated) was around 28-29 years. Over the course of the following century this figure inched up to 32 years (Riley, 2005a). Since then, however, the level has risen dramatically, more than doubling to give a child born today an average expectation of life of 68 years. (This is the estimate for 2009 given in WHO, 2011a.) Interpolating United Nations estimates (UNDESA-PD, World Population Prospects website) gives a 2010 global average of 69 years.) This rolling back of mortality is one of the most monumental (arguably the most monumental) revolutions in human development, holding diverse major implications at all scales – for individuals, for societies and for the overall global community.
