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12 Fighting the Diseases of Poverty
Figure 5 Life expectancy 1950–2003
80
High income
Middle income
Low income
Russia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Zambia
World
70
Years
60
50
40
30
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Source: World Bank (2005b), WRI (2005)
areas of Sub-Saharan Africa as well as less pronounced declines in
Russia (Becker & Bloom, 1998) (which is somewhat representative of
the former Soviet Union.
Russia’s decline since the late 1980s in large part reflects
economic deterioration concurrent with , and following, the fall of
the communist government. Between 1989 and 1998, GDP per
capita (in 1990 International dollars) declined 44 per cent before it
rebounded (GGDC&CB, 2005). However, in 2003 it was still 21 per
cent below its 1989 level. Yields of cereal, which represent 50 per
cent of all crops, fell, and food supplies per capita, nutritional levels,
and public health services all declined (Goklany, 1998). Alcoholism
increased, as did accidental deaths, homicides, hypertension and
suicides (Becker & Bloom, 1998). Life expectancies similarly declined
in other countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.