Letter: Wealth, education and lifespan in Africa

From Mariam Al Khalifa, Manama, Bahrain

Debora MacKenzie reports a finding based on data from 174 countries that more education is what makes people live longer, not more money (28 April, p 12). I used this as a springboard for a school maths assignment.

I calculated the correlation of wealth, education and life expectancy, using data only for Africa. I found that education – measured by the literacy rate for over-15s – had a low correlation to life expectancy (r = 0.3782). Furthermore, I found a stronger correlation between wealth – GDP per capita – and life expectancy (r = 0.4036). Both are relatively low correlations, given that a direct correlation is r = 1.

I conclude that economic empowerment is a stronger factor than educational empowerment when determining life expectancy in Africa.