Sonam Drolma, 109, talks with her great granddaughters in the courtyard at home in Reguo village of Gyaca county in Shannan, Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, March 24, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

LHASA -- The average life expectancy in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region in 2021 rose to 72.19 years, an increase of 1.09 years over 2020.

The figure was released Wednesday at the fifth session of the 11th People's Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region.

The region's average life expectancy was only 35.5 years in 1951.

Tibet has been taking measures to improve its medical services. It now has a full medical service system covering regular medical services, maternity and child care, disease prevention and control, and Tibetan medicine and therapies.

The maternal and infant mortality rates have dropped to 48 per 100,000 and 7.6 per 1,000, respectively.