India vs South Africa: Life expectancy - Regions

India
69.9 Years
in 2020
South Africa
64.4 Years
in 2020
India rank
49th
South Africa rank
50th

Life expectancy - Regions over time

  • India
  • South Africa
0204060199020052020

How they compare

India currently reports 69.9 Years against 64.4 Years in South Africa, a difference of 5.5 Years.

That makes India's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 31 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Africa ahead.

India ranks 49th and South Africa ranks 50th of 50 countries.

Across the 4 decades both report, India averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade India South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 60.08 Years 60.89 Years 0.81 Years South Africa
2000s 64.33 Years 54.64 Years 9.69 Years India
2010s 68.34 Years 61.72 Years 6.62 Years India
2020s 69.9 Years 64.4 Years 5.5 Years India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy - regions, India or South Africa?
India, at 69.9 Years against 64.4 Years in South Africa as of 2020.
What is the difference in life expectancy - regions between India and South Africa?
5.5 Years, with India ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
31 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2020.
How do India and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy - regions?
India ranks 49th and South Africa ranks 50th of 50 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Life expectancy - Regions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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India vs South Africa: Life expectancy - Regions. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-regions/india/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy - Regions
Unit
Years
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
54 places, 1,727 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

This dataset provides indicators on on life expectancy at birth, in large regions (TL2) and small regions (TL3) when available. Data definition and source Life expectancy at birth is defined as how long, on average, a newborn can expect to live, if current death rates do not change. However, the actual age-specific death rate of any particular birth cohort cannot be known in advance. If rates fall (or rise), actual life expectancy will be higher (or lower) than the life expectancy calculated on the basis of current mortality rates. Data is collected from Eurostat (reg_dem) for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). For more information, see the OECD Territorial grid (pdf) and the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table (xlsx). Territorial typologies Small TL3 regions are categorized based on shared characteristics into regional typologies. See the demographic indicators aggregated by territorial typology at country level on the access to City typology (link) and by urban-rural typology (link). Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.