Life expectancy another marker of urban inequality in Latin America

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More than 55 percent of the global population lives in urban areas, and this is set to rise to 70 percent by 2050. Even traditionally rural areas in Asia and Africa are quickly urbanizing. And this exodus from the fields to the cities has caused a variety of problems, notably inequality — of which Latin America is a world leader.

From the Rio Grande to Cape Horn, cities are increasingly swollen and growing in an unplanned fashion. One of the biggest knock-on effects of this is an increase in murders among young men. The larger the Latin American city, the higher the rate of violent deaths — young males are among the most common victims, and the trend is not seen among women.

This is among the conclusions of a recent study published in scientific journal Nature, which assessed the life expectancy and mortality profiles of 363 cities in nine Latin American countries. Beyond violent deaths, the researchers also included deaths as a result of maternal complications, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic non-communicable disease, and accidents.