This is the short edition of Morales, first broadcast on the BBC World Service.

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Hello and welcome to Morales on the BBC World Service.

I'm Ruth Alexander. This week we return to the small subjective

how long you might live.

There's been a tremendous increase in life expectancy around the world

over the past 25 years. Colin May that's from the World Health Organization

has been studying it.

Our estimates of global life expectancy suggest that there's been a six-year

increase in life expectancy at the global average level.

That reflects substantial improvements in Africa, Asia

and to a somewhat lesser extent in Latin America,

but also in the Eastern Mediterranean regions.

Since we spoke to Colin May this in 2013,

the global life expectancy has edged up even further.

It's now 71. That's up six and a half years since 1990.

Life expectancy at birth in Southeast Asia has increased by around nine years.

Improved living conditions, access to health care and efforts to vaccinate children

have all played their part.

The same is true of the Eastern Mediterranean region,

...