South Africa vs Tuvalu: Sex gap in life expectancy

South Africa
6.99 years
in 2023
Tuvalu
6.93 years
in 2023
South Africa rank
38th
Tuvalu rank
39th

Sex gap in life expectancy over time

  • South Africa
  • Tuvalu
2468195019862023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 6.99 years against 6.93 years in Tuvalu, a difference of 0.06 years.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Tuvalu ahead.

South Africa ranks 38th and Tuvalu ranks 39th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Tuvalu in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Tuvalu Difference Ahead
1950s 2.8 years 5.16 years 2.35 years Tuvalu
1960s 4.12 years 5.33 years 1.21 years Tuvalu
1970s 4.65 years 5.93 years 1.28 years Tuvalu
1980s 6.14 years 5.78 years 0.3656 years South Africa
1990s 6.9 years 5.34 years 1.56 years South Africa
2000s 4.39 years 5.31 years 0.9218 years Tuvalu
2010s 6.1 years 6.5 years 0.3993 years Tuvalu
2020s 6.39 years 6.96 years 0.5659 years Tuvalu

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher sex gap in life expectancy, South Africa or Tuvalu?
South Africa, at 6.99 years against 6.93 years in Tuvalu as of 2023.
What is the difference in sex gap in life expectancy between South Africa and Tuvalu?
0.06 years, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Tuvalu?
74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
How do South Africa and Tuvalu rank globally for sex gap in life expectancy?
South Africa ranks 38th and Tuvalu ranks 39th of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Sex gap in life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Tuvalu: Sex gap in life expectancy. Statizoid, drawing on Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/difference-in-female-and-male-life-expectancy-at-birth/south-africa/tuvalu/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/difference-in-female-and-male-life-expectancy-at-birth/south-africa/tuvalu/">South Africa vs Tuvalu: Sex gap in life expectancy</a> β€” Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Sex gap in life expectancy
Unit
years
Source
Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 18,722 data points, 1751–2023
Last refreshed

Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.