Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Zambia

Researchers manipulating life expectancy figures - CSO

    JOHANNESBURG
    Zambia's Central Statistical Office (CSO) on Thursday said Western donors studying the local impact of HIV/AIDS were manipulating life expectancy figures to suit their own interests. CSO director, Buleti Nsemukila, said Zambia's life expectancy was 50 years, rather than 37 years, as was widely propagated by Western donors and researchers. Nsemukila told the UN news service PlusNews: "All these statistics of 37 years are a fabrication by proponents - it's typical of Western researchers studying the impact of HIV/AIDS." He said the methods used by researchers when applying life expectancy models were "technically wrong". Nsemukila added: "While the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a disaster for Zambia, its impact should not be underplayed."

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join