Between 1991 and 2001 life expectancies declined substantially from about 60 to 50 years because of the sharp increase in HIV/ AIDS infections over the same period (figure 9.31). This trend reversed after 2001 and approached 60 years in 2011, in tandem with the increasing use of antiretroviral medicines and a decline in HIV infection rates. The life expectancy of females has always been higher than that for males. Likewise, the increase in female life expectancy (2001–2011) has been greater than that for males, especially in rural areas.