MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. Average life expectancy of Russians has risen to 73.6 years in the first eight months of 2019, the press service of the Russian Healthcare Ministry informed reporters on Wednesday.

"In the first eight months of the current year, average life expectancy has risen to 73.6 years, having increased by 0.7 years compared to the 2018 figure. The average life expectancy of women has surpassed 78.5 years. This happened due to preserving 34,000 lives. Average death rate per 1,000 people has fallen by 3.1% compared to the corresponding 2018 figure," the press service quotes Russian Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova as saying.

The ministry noted that in the first eight months of the current year, infant mortality continued to decline: "800 fewer infants younger than one year died compared to the corresponding period of 2018." Tuberculosis death rate has also fallen, reaching a national minimum: 5.1 per 100,000 people. "This is 13.6% lower than in the corresponding period of last year," the minister noted.

According to the medical-demographic research published in The Lancet medical journal in 2018, Russia has the widest gap between male and female life expectancy in the world. From 1980 to 2016, this disparity dwindled slightly, from 11.6 years in 1980 to 10.9 years in 2016. The study also notes the so-called excess mortality of working-age males in Russia, which is two times higher than the death rate of women at this age and is related to alcohol use. According to Skvortsova, up to 70% of deaths among Russian males younger than 55 are in some way caused by their alcohol habit.

The Russian government plans to establish a healthcare system aimed at preventing diseases and motivating Russians to have a healthier lifestyle and abandon harmful habits, which would, among other, help lower the death rate of working-age population.