During the colonial period, life expectancy in India was very low, ab…

During the colonial period, life expectancy in India was very low, about 32 years. Going by the meaning of life expectancy at birth, what does this figure tell us?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → A newborn would live about 32 years if the death rates at each age at its birth stayed the same all its life.

Life expectancy at birth is the number of years a newborn would live if the death rates at each age stayed as they were at its birth. So 32 years is an average for newborns, not the age at which most people died.

Option (1) Most people of that time died at about 32 years of age, as the mortality rate was very high. — Incorrect. It is an average. Many infants died very young, and others lived much longer.

Option (2) A newborn would live about 32 years if the death rates at each age at its birth stayed the same all its life. — Correct. This is the meaning of life expectancy at birth, applied to 32 years.

Option (3) Half of the population of that time was below 32 years of age, and half was above it. — Incorrect. This would describe the age make-up of the population, not life expectancy.

Option (4) A person who had already reached the age of 32 was expected to live about 32 more years. — Incorrect. The figure is worked out from birth, not from the age of 32.

NCERT (2026-27): “1.6 Demographic Condition … Public health facilities were either unavailable to large chunks of population or, when available, were highly inadequate. Consequently, water and air-borne diseases were rampant and took a huge toll on life. No wonder, the overall mortality rate was very high and in that, particularly, the infant mortality rate was quite alarming —about 218 per thousand in contrast to the present infant mortality rate of 28 per thousand. Life expectancy was also very low — 32 years in contrast to the present 70 years. …”

Glossary: “Life Expectancy at Birth (years) – The number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of age-specific mortality rates at the time of birth were to stay the same throughout the child’s life.”