Jammu and Kashmir has the highest life expectancy, except life expectancy at birth, surpassing Kerala, which topped the list till 2010, according to the data given by the Registrar General of India (RGI).
According to the RGI’s Sample Registration System (SRS) data prepared following surveys done between 2010 and 2014, Kerala used to be the leader in life expectancy in almost all categories of age till 2010. The surveys were conducted on a sample of about 7.4 million people across the country.
The RGI last week published state level life expectancy defined as the estimate of the average number of additional years that a person of a given age can expect to live — data for different ages: 0 (at birth), 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70. Life expectancy can be calculated at birth or at different points in life.
Jammu and Kashmir has surpassed Kerala as the state with the highest life expectancy in India for all ages, barring life expectancy at birth, the survey said.
India’s statistical system does not produce life expectancy numbers on 15 small states and Union Territories such as Arunachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep. It is confined only to 21 bigger states and UTs.
Kerala still has the highest overall life expectancy at birth at 74.9 years – 72 for men and 77.8 for women – according to the survey.
Delhi is second, with an overall life expectancy at birth at 73.2 years, 72 for men and 74.7 for women.
Jammu and Kashmir stands at third and it had the second-highest life expectancy at birth – behind only Kerala – even during 2006-10.
Delhi was not included in the analysis then, as it became eligible for the bigger state status only later.
Within the toddler age group (1 to 4), Jammu and Kashmir has the lowest proportion of deaths in India – 0.1 per cent of all deaths.