India vs South Africa: Life expectancy
India
72.2 Years
in 2024
South Africa
66.3 Years
in 2024
India rank
39th
South Africa rank
41st
Life expectancy over time
- India
- South Africa
How they compare
India currently reports 72.2 Years against 66.3 Years in South Africa, a difference of 5.9 Years.
That makes India's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.
India ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 41st of 41 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, India averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.46 Years | 54.21 Years | 7.75 Years | South Africa |
| 1970s | 50.59 Years | 57.45 Years | 6.86 Years | South Africa |
| 1980s | 55.99 Years | 61.77 Years | 5.78 Years | South Africa |
| 1990s | 60.42 Years | 61.57 Years | 1.15 Years | South Africa |
| 2000s | 64.71 Years | 55.58 Years | 9.13 Years | India |
| 2010s | 69.05 Years | 63.28 Years | 5.77 Years | India |
| 2020s | 70.68 Years | 65.02 Years | 5.66 Years | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy, India or South Africa?
- India, at 72.2 Years against 66.3 Years in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in life expectancy between India and South Africa?
- 5.9 Years, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do India and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy?
- India ranks 39th and South Africa ranks 41st of 41 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This dataset presents data on life expectancy at birth, and at ages 40, 60, 65 and 80 years old. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.