Open AccessEnhanced Life Expectancy During the Golden Age of Islamic Civilisation
Author(s) -
Daud Abdul-Fattah Batchelor
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
islam and civilisational renewal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2041-8728
pISSN - 2041-871X
DOI - 10.52282/icr.v6i4.303
Subject(s) - life expectancy , longevity , aristocracy (class) , demography , civilization , islam , population , ancient history , history , geography , sociology , gerontology , politics , medicine , political science , law , archaeology
People living in Muslim countries in 2013 had an average life expectancy at birth of just 67 years - four years lower than the global average of 71 years! Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the number of years an individual is expected to live. Global average life expectancy today is much greater than what is was in 1900 - then only 31 years. During the period of the medieval Islamic Caliphate, however, life expectancy at birth of the general population was relatively high, above 35 years, according to Conrad Lawrence (1995) in the book, The Western Medical Tradition: 800 BC to AD 1800. This is greater than longevity figures estimated for late medieval English aristocracy (30 years), and for populations in classical Greece (28 years) and classical Rome (20-30 years).