Mexico vs South Africa: Life expectancy — Life expectancy difference
Mexico
-6.5 Years
in 2025
South Africa
-7 Years
in 2024
Mexico rank
35th
South Africa rank
36th
Life expectancy — Life expectancy difference over time
- Mexico
- South Africa
How they compare
Mexico currently reports -6.5 Years against -7 Years in South Africa, a difference of 0.5 Years.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Mexico ahead.
Mexico ranks 35th and South Africa ranks 36th of 41 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Mexico averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mexico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -3.65 Years | -4.15 Years | 0.5 Years | Mexico |
| 1970s | -5.21 Years | -4.66 Years | 0.55 Years | South Africa |
| 1980s | -5.91 Years | -6.15 Years | 0.24 Years | Mexico |
| 1990s | -5.77 Years | -6.9 Years | 1.13 Years | Mexico |
| 2000s | -5.41 Years | -4.4 Years | 1.01 Years | South Africa |
| 2010s | -5.78 Years | -6.09 Years | 0.31 Years | Mexico |
| 2020s | -7.2 Years | -6.52 Years | 0.68 Years | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy — life expectancy difference, Mexico or South Africa?
- Mexico, at -6.5 Years against -7 Years in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in life expectancy — life expectancy difference between Mexico and South Africa?
- 0.5 Years, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy — life expectancy difference?
- Mexico ranks 35th and South Africa ranks 36th of 41 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Life expectancy — Life expectancy difference (male-female). 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.