Life Expectancy Rises in Brazil

Government figures show that life expectancy in Brazil has risen more than 25 years since 1960.

The government's IBGE statistics agency says Friday that data compiled in the 2010 census shows that life expectancy for the average Brazilian went from 48 to 73.4 years between 1960 and 2010.

The IBGE says the number of Brazilians aged 15 to 64 increased from 54.6 percent of the population to 68.5 percent during the same period.

It also says that the number of Brazilians aged 65 and more increased from 2.7 percent of the population to 7.4 percent.

The latest census figures show that the average number of children per woman during the period dropped from 6.3 to 1.9.