The average life expectancy for Rwandans rose by almost three years from 64.5 years in 2012 to 67.8 years in 2020, according to figures obtained Monday from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda.
According to the medium scenario, life expectancy at birth is likely to increase to 71.4 years by 2032 while infant mortality rate is likely to drop from its current 32 to 27.7 per 1000 live births in the next 12 years.
The latest results of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted by the government indicate that infant mortality has so declined from 86 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 32 in 2014-15.
In addition, maternal mortality decreased between 2010 and 2014-15 from 750 to 210 deaths (due to pregnancy, during delivery and in postpartum period-42 days after delivery) per 100,000 live births, it said.
Following current trends, official reports indicate that the size of certain population subgroups such as the school-age population, the working-age population, the health interventions group, the elderly, the children and youth, and the legal age groups categories will increase substantially over the next 12 years, especially in urban areas.
The Rwandan population is projected to increase from 12.3 million in 2020 to 16.3 million by 2032.
Official figures indicate that the population will be less young with the median age increasing from 19 years in 2012 to 24 in 2032.
The percentage of the adult and the elderly aged 60 and above in the population will increase over time while the share of the children is expected to decline in the future, it said.
CU/as/APA