Difference in male and female life expectancy in South Korea
South Korea: Difference in male and female life expectancy was 5.93 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Difference in male and female life expectancy in South Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 5.93 for difference in male and female life expectancy in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, difference in male and female life expectancy in South Korea peaked at 27.47 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 4.79, in 1957.
That places South Korea 63rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Difference in male and female life expectancy in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 27.47 | — |
| 1951 | 25.8 | -6.1% |
| 1952 | 14.99 | -41.9% |
| 1953 | 10.71 | -28.6% |
| 1954 | 5.04 | -53.0% |
| 1955 | 4.95 | -1.7% |
| 1956 | 4.87 | -1.7% |
| 1957 | 4.79 | -1.6% |
| 1958 | 5.27 | +10.1% |
| 1959 | 5.23 | -0.8% |
| 1960 | 5.2 | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 5.2 | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 5.05 | -2.8% |
| 1963 | 5.25 | +3.9% |
| 1964 | 5.62 | +7.0% |
| 1965 | 6.09 | +8.4% |
| 1966 | 6.21 | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 7.46 | +20.0% |
| 1968 | 7.62 | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 7.57 | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 7.45 | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 7.61 | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 7.85 | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 7.95 | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 8.12 | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 8.28 | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 8.46 | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 8.87 | +4.9% |
| 1978 | 9.36 | +5.5% |
| 1979 | 9.66 | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 8.97 | -7.2% |
| 1981 | 9.73 | +8.5% |
| 1982 | 9.36 | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 9.06 | -3.2% |
| 1984 | 8.96 | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 9.16 | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 9.17 | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 8.95 | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 9.04 | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 8.81 | -2.6% |
| 1990 | 8.51 | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 8.44 | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 8.3 | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 8.31 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 8.27 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 8.1 | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 8.03 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 8.05 | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 8.05 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 7.82 | -2.9% |
| 2000 | 7.77 | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 7.79 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 7.53 | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 7.2 | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 7.24 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 7.08 | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 7.12 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 6.96 | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 7.16 | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 7.07 | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 7.1 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 7.08 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 6.98 | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 6.93 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 6.94 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 6.72 | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 6.62 | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 6.5 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 6.47 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 6.37 | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 6.49 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 6.36 | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 6.15 | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 5.93 | -3.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 5.93 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.91, 1.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 5.93 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.7, 1.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Difference in male and female life expectancy in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | -53.0% | 10.71 | 5.04 |
| 1952 | -41.9% | 25.8 | 14.99 |
| 1953 | -28.6% | 14.99 | 10.71 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10.91 | 4.79 | 27.47 | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.13 | 5.05 | 7.62 | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.36 | 7.45 | 9.66 | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.12 | 8.81 | 9.73 | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.19 | 7.82 | 8.51 | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.29 | 6.96 | 7.79 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.77 | 6.37 | 7.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.23 | 5.93 | 6.49 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 69 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0124 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is difference in male and female life expectancy in South Korea?
- Difference in male and female life expectancy in South Korea was 5.93 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest difference in male and female life expectancy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 27.47 in 1950.
- What is the lowest difference in male and female life expectancy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.79 in 1957.
- How does South Korea rank for difference in male and female life expectancy?
- South Korea ranks 63rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is difference in male and female life expectancy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Difference in male and female 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).