Puerto Rico vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Life expectancy at birth, total

Puerto Rico
81.9 years
in 2024
Sub-Saharan Africa
62.8 years
in 2024
Puerto Rico rank
38th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
42nd

Life expectancy at birth, total over time

  • Puerto Rico
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
020406080196019922024

How they compare

Puerto Rico currently reports 81.9 years against 62.8 years in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 19.1 years.

That makes Puerto Rico's figure about 1.3 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.

Across all 65 years both countries report, Puerto Rico has been ahead every year.

Puerto Rico ranks 38th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 42nd of 218 countries.

Puerto Rico has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Puerto Rico Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 69.43 years 42.9 years 26.53 years Puerto Rico
1970s 71.62 years 46.34 years 25.28 years Puerto Rico
1980s 73.08 years 49.13 years 23.95 years Puerto Rico
1990s 73.91 years 50.33 years 23.58 years Puerto Rico
2000s 77.06 years 53.82 years 23.24 years Puerto Rico
2010s 79.97 years 59.18 years 20.79 years Puerto Rico
2020s 80.56 years 61.83 years 18.73 years Puerto Rico

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy at birth, total, Puerto Rico or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Puerto Rico, at 81.9 years against 62.8 years in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in life expectancy at birth, total between Puerto Rico and Sub-Saharan Africa?
19.1 years, with Puerto Rico ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Puerto Rico and Sub-Saharan Africa?
65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do Puerto Rico and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for life expectancy at birth, total?
Puerto Rico ranks 38th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 42nd of 218 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Puerto Rico vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Life expectancy at birth, total. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years/puerto-rico-us/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
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.