The Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) revealed that Egyptian female life expectancy at birth increased to 73.6 years, compared to 70.8 years for males, in 2017.

Meanwhile, the average expectancy of females in 2006 was 69.1 years, while for males was 66.5 years.

This came according to the CAPMAS report on the occasion of the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, which is today, 28 May.

The CAPMAS stated that the female mortality rate was 5.6 cases per 1,000 females in 2016.

In terms of female mortality causes, the report explained that the most common cause of female mortality was circulatory system diseases at 48.1% of the total female mortality in 2016 compared to 40.7% in 2010, then mortality due to gastroenterology at 9% of the total female mortality in 2016 compared to 8.6% in 2010.

Furthermore, mortality due to respiratory system diseases increased to 8.1% in 2016, compared to 5.7% in 2010, while mortality due to tumours was 6.4% in 2016 compared to 6.1% in 2010.

On the other hand, “the lowest percentage of female mortality was due to pregnancy and birth at 0.1% in 2016,” according to the CAPMAS.

Concerning health insurance, the CAPMAS revealed that 46.9% of females were participants or beneficiaries of health insurance compared to 54.6% of males in 2017.

The International Day of Action for Women’s Health is an international day celebrated on 28 May every year since 1987.

The day has been commemorated by women’s health advocates and their communities since 1987, when during the International Women’s Health Meeting in Costa Rica, the Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) proposed annually celebrating 28 May as the International Day of Action for Women’s Health.