Rio de Janeiro, Aug 3 (IANS): The average life expectancy in Brazil rose from 62.52 years to 73.76 during the 1980-2010 period, according to latest official figures.

The average annual life expectancy has expanded 4.5 months thanks to government social programmes including income boost among the poor, improvements in sanitation and healthcare, said Brazilian statistics agency IBGE Friday.

Women's life expectancy continued to climb higher than men's, rising from 65.69 years in 1980 to 77.38 in 2010, while men's life expectancy increased from 59.62 to 70.21 years, Xinhua reported.

In correlation with increased life expectancy, infant mortality fell dramatically in Brazil, the IBGE said.

In 1980, Brazil had an infant mortality rate of 69.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, and the figure fell to 16.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010, a 75.8-percent decrease.

IBGE said better pre-natal care, broader vaccination programmes, breast-feeding promotion and other factors contributed to the decrease in infant mortality.