The average age of Egyptian women climbed to 73.3 in 2016 from 70.5 registered in 2009, the state’s statistics body CAPMAS said in a statement on Sunday, marking the International Day of Action for Women’s Health.

The increase in the average age of women comes despite an increase in the female death rate, which increased from 5.6 in every 1,000 females annually in 2008 to 6.0 in every 1,000 in 2015.

The most common cause of death for females in Egypt is circulatory disease, which claimed the lives of 48.6 percent of those who died in 2015, compared to 40.7 percent in 2010.

Females who died during pregnancy and childbirth ranked last on the list of major causes, accounting for 0.2 percent of deaths in both 2010 and 2015.

According to figures from 2015, 61.2 percent of women aged between 18 and 64 said they didn’t have any health issues, while 24.1 percent said they have chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

CAPMAS also revealed data on reproductive health, with 86.9 percent of urban women in the same age group having used contraceptives, compared to 85.2 percent in rural areas.

A total of 84.1 percent of women in urban areas had  Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) performed on them, compared to 94.1 percent in rural areas.

FGM is considered a felony in Egypt’s penal code, with prison sentences for both those conducting the procedures and those who "escort" the victims.