New Delhi, Nov. 6 -- New Delhi: For most part of human civilization, the average life expectancy was dismal. Someone born in 1800 was not expected to live beyond thirty. A century later, by 1900, this number improved only marginally to 32 years. The largest increase came post 1950s, when life expectancy rose from a little over 46 years to 73 years by 2023. This dramatic rise in the length of human life was possibly because of multiple advancements in healthcare, access to vaccines, better nutrition and improvement of living standards.

In India, the average life expectancy is 72 years. But deteriorating air quality is now threatening to shorten lives. As per a 2025 report from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC...