Health Day in Turkmenistan

Public health conditions in Turkmenistan could be described as alarming, and most signs point to the continuing decay of the quality of life in the country. According to the most recent estimates, Turkmen citizens had an average life expectancy of 62.7 years in 2002, the lowest expected lifespan in Europe and Central Asia. The typical European Union resident, by contrast, lived an average of 16 years longer than Turkmen citizens. Meanwhile, infant mortality in Turkmenistan was estimated at 16 times greater than in EU member states, with roughly 76 out of every 1,000 Turkmen babies born failing to survive for one year.