Indeed, the most common health problems in China today relate to tobacco use, blood pressure and obesity, which are not typical of poor populations. In 2000, the average life expectancy of rural residents was 69.6 years, 8 per cent lower than the average for urban residents of 75.2 years. Maternal mortality in rural areas in 2006 was nearly double that in urban China, at 45-5 per 100,000 live births compared to 24.8.