what is russia's life expectancy
High rates of smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, obesity, heart disease, violence, suicide and environmental pollution contribute to Russiansâ poor health. Russiaâs current male life expectancy at birth of 64 years is 15 years lower than male life expectancies in Germany, Italy and Sweden. Russia also stands out for the gap between male and female life expectancies at birth; at almost 13 years, it is one of the widest sex differentials. Moreover, the life expectancy at birth of 74 years for Russian females compares unfavorably with other developed countries, such as 80 years for Polish females. Policies to address the health crisis are woefully inadequate. Russiaâs periodic crackdown on alcohol consumption has had limited effect.