Sex gap in life expectancy in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Sex gap in life expectancy was 6.65 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
6.65 years
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
42nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.19 years
in 1977
All-time low
1.3 years
in 2001
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy in Ethiopia, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 6.65 years for sex gap in life expectancy in 2023.
That represents a change of up 35.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in Ethiopia peaked at 7.19 years in 1977 and was at its lowest, 1.3 years, in 2001.
Ethiopia ranks 42nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Sex gap in life expectancy in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.72 years | — |
| 1951 | 6.65 years | -1.0% |
| 1952 | 6.7 years | +0.8% |
| 1953 | 6.67 years | -0.5% |
| 1954 | 6.69 years | +0.3% |
| 1955 | 6.8 years | +1.6% |
| 1956 | 6.83 years | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 5.63 years | -17.6% |
| 1958 | 5.68 years | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 7 years | +23.3% |
| 1960 | 7.07 years | +0.9% |
| 1961 | 6.89 years | -2.5% |
| 1962 | 6.68 years | -3.1% |
| 1963 | 6.69 years | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 6.68 years | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 6.83 years | +2.2% |
| 1966 | 6.36 years | -6.8% |
| 1967 | 6.84 years | +7.4% |
| 1968 | 6.85 years | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 6.81 years | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 6.8 years | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 6.68 years | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 6.45 years | -3.3% |
| 1973 | 6.52 years | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 6.17 years | -5.4% |
| 1975 | 6.26 years | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 7.14 years | +14.2% |
| 1977 | 7.19 years | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 7.1 years | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 7.01 years | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 7 years | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 7.04 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 6.95 years | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 5.01 years | -28.0% |
| 1984 | 4.56 years | -8.8% |
| 1985 | 4.09 years | -10.5% |
| 1986 | 3.51 years | -14.1% |
| 1987 | 3.41 years | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 3.11 years | -8.9% |
| 1989 | 3.22 years | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 3.3 years | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 2.14 years | -35.1% |
| 1992 | 1.51 years | -29.7% |
| 1993 | 1.55 years | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 1.68 years | +8.4% |
| 1995 | 1.85 years | +9.6% |
| 1996 | 1.69 years | -8.3% |
| 1997 | 1.67 years | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 1.78 years | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 2.67 years | +50.4% |
| 2000 | 1.38 years | -48.4% |
| 2001 | 1.3 years | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 1.66 years | +27.8% |
| 2003 | 1.78 years | +6.8% |
| 2004 | 2.29 years | +28.7% |
| 2005 | 2.57 years | +12.4% |
| 2006 | 2.95 years | +14.8% |
| 2007 | 3.56 years | +20.5% |
| 2008 | 4 years | +12.5% |
| 2009 | 4.27 years | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 4.43 years | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 4.4 years | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 4.58 years | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 4.89 years | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 5.14 years | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 5.39 years | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 5.63 years | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 5.81 years | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 5.93 years | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 6.09 years | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 6.59 years | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 6.57 years | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 6.65 years | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 6.65 years | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.54 years | 5.63 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.77 years | 6.36 years | 7.07 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.73 years | 6.17 years | 7.19 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.79 years | 3.11 years | 7.04 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.99 years | 1.51 years | 3.3 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.58 years | 1.3 years | 4.27 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.23 years | 4.4 years | 6.09 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.62 years | 6.57 years | 6.65 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 39 Tuvalu 6.93 years compare
- 40 Bermuda 6.89 years compare
- 41 Saint Helena 6.75 years compare
- 43 Anguilla 6.64 years compare
- 44 Seychelles 6.58 years compare
- 45 Montenegro 6.58 years compare
More health data for Ethiopia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9494 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 744.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 19,997 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 2.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0034 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0026 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy in Ethiopia?
- Sex gap in life expectancy in Ethiopia was 6.65 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.19 years in 1977.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3 years in 2001.
- How does Ethiopia rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
- Ethiopia ranks 42nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sex gap in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.