Sex gap in life expectancy in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Sex gap in life expectancy was 6.35 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.35 years
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
58th
of 236 countries
All-time high
10.05 years
in 1989
All-time low
2.57 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy in Sri Lanka, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, sex gap in life expectancy in Sri Lanka stood at 6.35 years.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in Sri Lanka peaked at 10.05 years in 1989 and was at its lowest, 2.57 years, in 1950.
That places Sri Lanka 58th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Sex gap in life expectancy in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.57 years | — |
| 1951 | 2.87 years | +11.6% |
| 1952 | 3.11 years | +8.3% |
| 1953 | 3.16 years | +1.7% |
| 1954 | 3.36 years | +6.1% |
| 1955 | 3.43 years | +2.1% |
| 1956 | 3.43 years | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 3.43 years | +0.2% |
| 1958 | 3.48 years | +1.5% |
| 1959 | 3.52 years | +1.1% |
| 1960 | 3.53 years | +0.4% |
| 1961 | 3.54 years | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 3.6 years | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 3.73 years | +3.6% |
| 1964 | 3.83 years | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 3.98 years | +3.9% |
| 1966 | 4.08 years | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 4.18 years | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 4.19 years | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 4.17 years | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 4.15 years | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 4.57 years | +10.0% |
| 1972 | 4.21 years | -7.9% |
| 1973 | 4.28 years | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 4.39 years | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 4.49 years | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 4.55 years | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 4.7 years | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 4.76 years | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 4.98 years | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 5.14 years | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 5.4 years | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 5.7 years | +5.5% |
| 1983 | 6.16 years | +8.0% |
| 1984 | 6.81 years | +10.6% |
| 1985 | 7.23 years | +6.1% |
| 1986 | 7.6 years | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 7.98 years | +5.1% |
| 1988 | 8.49 years | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 10.05 years | +18.4% |
| 1990 | 8.99 years | -10.6% |
| 1991 | 9.52 years | +5.9% |
| 1992 | 9.07 years | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 8.7 years | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 8.76 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 9.72 years | +11.1% |
| 1996 | 9.56 years | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 9.77 years | +2.3% |
| 1998 | 9.86 years | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 9.84 years | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 9.52 years | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 8.77 years | -7.9% |
| 2002 | 8.42 years | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 7.96 years | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 5.82 years | -27.0% |
| 2005 | 7.67 years | +31.8% |
| 2006 | 8.35 years | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 8.39 years | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 9.81 years | +17.0% |
| 2009 | 9.64 years | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 7.34 years | -23.9% |
| 2011 | 7.12 years | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 6.85 years | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 6.77 years | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 6.87 years | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 6.82 years | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 6.77 years | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 6.74 years | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 6.71 years | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 6.46 years | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 6.37 years | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 6.55 years | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 6.42 years | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 6.35 years | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.24 years | 2.57 years | 3.52 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.88 years | 3.53 years | 4.19 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.51 years | 4.15 years | 4.98 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.06 years | 5.14 years | 10.05 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.38 years | 8.7 years | 9.86 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.43 years | 5.82 years | 9.81 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.84 years | 6.46 years | 7.34 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.42 years | 6.35 years | 6.55 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 55 Martinique 6.36 years compare
- 56 Sudan 6.35 years compare
- 57 Cape Verde 6.35 years compare
- 59 Dominica 6.33 years compare
- 60 Trinidad and Tobago 6.31 years compare
- 61 Croatia 6.28 years compare
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 304 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 60-64, female, annual growth rate -0.693 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per capita 0.0274 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, annual growth rate -0.5696 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per capita 0.0233 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy in Sri Lanka?
- Sex gap in life expectancy in Sri Lanka was 6.35 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 10.05 years in 1989.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.57 years in 1950.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
- Sri Lanka ranks 58th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.