Rwanda vs South Africa: Life expectancy at birth, female

Rwanda
70.14 years
in 2024
South Africa
69.79 years
in 2024
Rwanda rank
175th
South Africa rank
178th

Life expectancy at birth, female over time

  • Rwanda
  • South Africa
20406080196019922024

How they compare

Rwanda currently reports 70.14 years against 69.79 years in South Africa, a difference of 0.35 years.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

Rwanda ranks 175th and South Africa ranks 178th of 218 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade Rwanda South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 47.97 years 56.39 years 8.41 years South Africa
1970s 46.58 years 59.87 years 13.29 years South Africa
1980s 51.95 years 65.01 years 13.06 years South Africa
1990s 43.02 years 65.14 years 22.12 years South Africa
2000s 56.98 years 57.64 years 0.6599 years South Africa
2010s 66.98 years 66.19 years 0.796 years Rwanda
2020s 69.53 years 68.23 years 1.3 years Rwanda

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy at birth, female, Rwanda or South Africa?
Rwanda, at 70.14 years against 69.79 years in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in life expectancy at birth, female between Rwanda and South Africa?
0.35 years, with Rwanda ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and South Africa?
65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do Rwanda and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy at birth, female?
Rwanda ranks 175th and South Africa ranks 178th of 218 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as Life expectancy at birth, female (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Rwanda vs South Africa: Life expectancy at birth, female. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-at-birth-female-years/rwanda/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, female (years)
Unit
years
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
266 places, 17,256 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.