It took almost ten years for India to improve its life expectancy at birth to 69.7 years in the 2015-19 periods, even though it remained below the anticipated average life expectancy of 72.6 years. 

The high rate of infant and under-five mortality seemed to be the cause behind India′s difficulty in raising life expectancy at birth. The largest discrepancy between life expectancy at birth and life expectancy at age one or age five was found in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, according to data from the sample registration system′s (SRS) "abridged life tables" 2015-19. (IMR). Madhya Pradesh had the highest IMR of 43, followed by Uttar Pradesh with an IMR of 38, resulting in a 2.7-year and 3.4-year increase in life expectancy at the end of the first year, respectively.

Over 45 years, India increased its life expectancy at birth by almost 20 years, from 49.7 in 1970-75 to 69.7 in 2015-19. The maximum life expectancy was observed in Odisha, followed by Tamil Nadu, while Chhattisgarh showed the least. A significant variation was monitored in the life expectancy of different states and also between cities and villages.

According to the United Nations′ Human Development Report for 2019, the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Nepal, which had lower IMRs than India (24 vs. 28), now have a higher life expectancy at birth of 72.1 and 70.5 years, respectively. Japan showed the highest life expectancy of 85 years. The average life expectancy of Norway, Australia, Switzerland, and Iceland was 83 years. In 2020, the Central African Republic had the shortest life expectancy at 54 years, followed by Lesotho and Chad at 55. (ETHealthWorld, June 13, 2022)