Life expectancy (LE) varies widely across Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, reflecting differences in economic, social, environmental, and health-system conditions. This review aimed to synthesize quantitative evidence on determinants of LE at birth in OIC member countries. The study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, and a systematic search of electronic databases was performed up to September 2025. After screening 5312 records and assessing full texts, studies were appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists, with an inclusion threshold of ≥80%. A total of 54 studies, mainly ecological, time-series, and panel analyses using national-level data, were included. Higher gross domestic product per capita, education, employment, and health expenditure were consistently associated with longer LE. In contrast, poverty, income inequality, air pollution, and carbon dioxide emissions were associated with shorter LE. Clear differences were observed across World Bank income groups, with LE being lowest in low-income OIC countries and highest in high-income Gulf Cooperation Council states, where gains were driven more by health-system resources than by income growth. Improving LE in OIC countries requires integrated economic, social, environmental, and health-system policies.
Aimaq et al. (Sat,) studied this question.