Sex gap in life expectancy in Ghana
Ghana: Sex gap in life expectancy was 4.81 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.81 years
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
128th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.81 years
in 2023
All-time low
2.2 years
in 1995
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy in Ghana, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 4.81 years for sex gap in life expectancy in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 36.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in Ghana peaked at 4.81 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.2 years, in 1995.
Ghana ranks 128th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Sex gap in life expectancy in Ghana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4.02 years | — |
| 1951 | 3.97 years | -1.1% |
| 1952 | 4.08 years | +2.5% |
| 1953 | 4.12 years | +1.1% |
| 1954 | 4.11 years | -0.2% |
| 1955 | 4.17 years | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 4.2 years | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 4.14 years | -1.5% |
| 1958 | 4.2 years | +1.5% |
| 1959 | 4.14 years | -1.4% |
| 1960 | 4.14 years | +0.1% |
| 1961 | 4.17 years | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 4.11 years | -1.3% |
| 1963 | 4.13 years | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 4.32 years | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 4.31 years | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 4.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 4.29 years | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 4.25 years | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 4.4 years | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 4.2 years | -4.6% |
| 1971 | 4.12 years | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 4.1 years | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 4.08 years | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 3.91 years | -4.2% |
| 1975 | 3.88 years | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 3.83 years | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 3.77 years | -1.6% |
| 1978 | 3.76 years | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 3.72 years | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 3.72 years | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 3.68 years | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 3.64 years | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 3.64 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 3.67 years | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 3.73 years | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 3.62 years | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 3.46 years | -4.4% |
| 1988 | 3.35 years | -3.2% |
| 1989 | 3.15 years | -5.9% |
| 1990 | 2.92 years | -7.6% |
| 1991 | 2.69 years | -7.7% |
| 1992 | 2.5 years | -7.2% |
| 1993 | 2.31 years | -7.4% |
| 1994 | 2.39 years | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 2.2 years | -7.8% |
| 1996 | 2.21 years | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 2.22 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 2.26 years | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 2.37 years | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 2.4 years | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 2.43 years | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 2.49 years | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 2.54 years | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 2.61 years | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 2.56 years | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 2.56 years | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.63 years | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 2.77 years | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 2.84 years | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 3.02 years | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 3.28 years | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 3.39 years | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 3.51 years | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 3.71 years | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 3.75 years | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 3.82 years | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 3.88 years | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 4.01 years | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 4.19 years | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 4.64 years | +10.9% |
| 2021 | 4.43 years | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 4.66 years | +5.2% |
| 2023 | 4.81 years | +3.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.11 years | 3.97 years | 4.2 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.24 years | 4.11 years | 4.4 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.94 years | 3.72 years | 4.2 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.57 years | 3.15 years | 3.73 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.41 years | 2.2 years | 2.92 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.58 years | 2.4 years | 2.84 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.66 years | 3.02 years | 4.19 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.63 years | 4.43 years | 4.81 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More health data for Ghana
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.37 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6224 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 986.1 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,361 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 65-69, male, annual growth rate 4.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per capita 0.0076 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, annual growth rate 3.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per capita 0.0057 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy in Ghana?
- Sex gap in life expectancy in Ghana was 4.81 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 4.81 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2 years in 1995.
- How does Ghana rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
- Ghana ranks 128th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.
Download this data
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About this data
Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.