The Caucasus has once again confirmed its status as a region of long-livers - it has the lowest death rates in Russia, Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper writes with reference to Rosstat.
The death rate in 2018 was 3 per 1000 citizens in Ingushetia, 4,2 - in Chechnya, 4.8 - in Dagestan, 7.8 - in Kabardino-Balkaria. The top two regions in terms of longest life expectancy are the republic of Ingushetia and the republic of Dagestan.
The situation is much worse in central Russia. The death rate in 2018 was 16.8 per 1000 citizens in Pskov and Tver regions, 16.5 - in Novgorog region, 16 - in Ivanovo region, 15.8 - in Vladimir region. The national average death rate was 12.4 per 1000 citizens.
The senior research fellow of the Caucasus Problems and Regional Security Center at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Nikolai Silaev, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that a significant factor in maintaining low mortality in the region is low alcohol consumption. "Their way of living as a whole is healthier than, for example, of people in Moscow. At the same time, the level of healthcare in Ingushetia, Dagestan and Chechnya is still not high enough, and it should be understood that the way of living is not enough to achieve dramatic difference from Russia' average," he said.
The senior research fellow at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations Ahmet Yarlykapov agreed with Silayev. "Thanks to the Islamic religion, there are very low levels of alcohol consumption in the North Caucasus. Due to this, people live longer there. In general, the Caucasus is considered a healthier place. Undoubtedly, natural factors, in particular, clean air, also play a very large role. If we look at Russia as a whole, then the North Caucasus will be the most favorable region for living," he noted.
"In addition, there are no harsh environmental conditions in the Caucasus. Much of Russia’s territory is considered to be an extreme place in terms of climate. This factor, of course, affects the health of citizens. In addition, the North Caucasus air quality improved for purely economic reasons - there are fewer industries," Ahmet Yarlykapov added.
