Sex gap in life expectancy in South Korea
South Korea: Sex gap in life expectancy was 5.96 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
5.96 years
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
71st
of 236 countries
All-time high
17.22 years
in 1951
All-time low
4.36 years
in 1957
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy in South Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sex gap in life expectancy in South Korea is 5.96 years, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in South Korea peaked at 17.22 years in 1951 and was at its lowest, 4.36 years, in 1957.
South Korea ranks 71st 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 South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 17.1 years | — |
| 1951 | 17.22 years | +0.7% |
| 1952 | 11.23 years | -34.8% |
| 1953 | 8.02 years | -28.6% |
| 1954 | 4.48 years | -44.1% |
| 1955 | 4.5 years | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 4.48 years | -0.6% |
| 1957 | 4.36 years | -2.6% |
| 1958 | 4.81 years | +10.2% |
| 1959 | 4.95 years | +2.9% |
| 1960 | 4.96 years | +0.2% |
| 1961 | 5.01 years | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 4.92 years | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 5.17 years | +5.0% |
| 1964 | 5.6 years | +8.3% |
| 1965 | 6.1 years | +9.0% |
| 1966 | 6.27 years | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 7.57 years | +20.6% |
| 1968 | 7.77 years | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 7.72 years | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 7.68 years | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 7.79 years | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 8.03 years | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 8.14 years | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 8.31 years | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 8.47 years | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 8.63 years | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 9.03 years | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 9.52 years | +5.4% |
| 1979 | 9.83 years | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 9.14 years | -7.0% |
| 1981 | 9.9 years | +8.3% |
| 1982 | 9.53 years | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 9.21 years | -3.3% |
| 1984 | 9.12 years | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 9.3 years | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 9.3 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 9.07 years | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 9.16 years | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 8.91 years | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 8.6 years | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 8.52 years | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 8.38 years | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 8.39 years | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 8.34 years | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 8.17 years | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 8.09 years | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 8.11 years | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 8.1 years | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 7.87 years | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 7.82 years | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 7.83 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 7.57 years | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 7.24 years | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 7.28 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 7.12 years | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 7.15 years | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 6.99 years | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 7.19 years | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 7.1 years | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 7.13 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 7.11 years | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 7.01 years | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 6.96 years | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 6.97 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.75 years | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 6.65 years | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 6.53 years | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 6.5 years | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 6.4 years | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 6.52 years | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 6.39 years | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 6.19 years | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 5.96 years | -3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 8.11 years | 4.36 years | 17.22 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.11 years | 4.92 years | 7.77 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.54 years | 7.68 years | 9.83 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.26 years | 8.91 years | 9.9 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.26 years | 7.87 years | 8.6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.33 years | 6.99 years | 7.83 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.8 years | 6.4 years | 7.13 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.27 years | 5.96 years | 6.52 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 68 South Sudan 5.99 years compare
- 69 Taiwan 5.98 years compare
- 70 Turkmenistan 5.97 years compare
- 72 Uzbekistan 5.95 years compare
- 73 Philippines 5.93 years compare
- 74 Panama 5.9 years compare
More health data for South Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 4.27 % 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 0.0191 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 5.24 % 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 0.0155 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy in South Korea?
- Sex gap in life expectancy in South Korea was 5.96 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.22 years in 1951.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.36 years in 1957.
- How does South Korea rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
- South Korea ranks 71st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.