Difference in male and female life expectancy in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Difference in male and female life expectancy was 6.26 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.26
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
51st
of 236 countries
All-time high
9.83
in 1989
All-time low
2.59
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Difference in male and female life expectancy in Sri Lanka, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 6.26 for difference in male and female life expectancy in 2023.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, difference in male and female life expectancy in Sri Lanka peaked at 9.83 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 2.59, in 1950.
That places Sri Lanka 51st 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.
Difference in male and female life expectancy in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.59 | — |
| 1951 | 2.87 | +10.8% |
| 1952 | 3.04 | +6.1% |
| 1953 | 3.11 | +2.3% |
| 1954 | 3.18 | +2.1% |
| 1955 | 3.2 | +0.7% |
| 1956 | 3.15 | -1.4% |
| 1957 | 3.12 | -1.0% |
| 1958 | 3.14 | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 3.13 | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 3.12 | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 3.11 | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 3.15 | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 3.26 | +3.6% |
| 1964 | 3.35 | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 3.5 | +4.2% |
| 1966 | 3.58 | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 3.69 | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 3.68 | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 3.66 | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 3.63 | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 4.08 | +12.4% |
| 1972 | 3.69 | -9.8% |
| 1973 | 3.76 | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 3.87 | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 3.98 | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 4.04 | +1.5% |
| 1977 | 4.19 | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 4.27 | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 4.49 | +5.2% |
| 1980 | 4.65 | +3.6% |
| 1981 | 4.94 | +6.1% |
| 1982 | 5.25 | +6.4% |
| 1983 | 5.73 | +9.1% |
| 1984 | 6.4 | +11.8% |
| 1985 | 6.84 | +6.7% |
| 1986 | 7.23 | +5.7% |
| 1987 | 7.63 | +5.5% |
| 1988 | 8.15 | +6.9% |
| 1989 | 9.83 | +20.7% |
| 1990 | 8.68 | -11.8% |
| 1991 | 9.23 | +6.4% |
| 1992 | 8.79 | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 8.41 | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 8.47 | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 9.47 | +11.8% |
| 1996 | 9.32 | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 9.54 | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 9.63 | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 9.62 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 9.32 | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 8.57 | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 8.23 | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 7.79 | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 6.12 | -21.4% |
| 2005 | 7.5 | +22.6% |
| 2006 | 8.21 | +9.4% |
| 2007 | 8.25 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 9.7 | +17.5% |
| 2009 | 9.66 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 7.2 | -25.5% |
| 2011 | 6.99 | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 6.72 | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 6.65 | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 6.75 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 6.71 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 6.66 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 6.64 | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 6.6 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 6.36 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 6.28 | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 6.46 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 6.32 | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 6.26 | -1.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 6.26 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.66, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 6.26 is above the median for South Asia, which is 3.14, 2.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Difference in male and female life expectancy in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | -25.5% | 9.66 | 7.2 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.05 | 2.59 | 3.2 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.41 | 3.11 | 3.69 | 10 |
| 1970s | 4 | 3.63 | 4.49 | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.66 | 4.65 | 9.83 | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.12 | 8.41 | 9.63 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.33 | 6.12 | 9.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.73 | 6.36 | 7.2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.33 | 6.26 | 6.46 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 48 Anguilla 6.35 compare
- 49 Martinique 6.27 compare
- 50 Croatia 6.27 compare
- 52 Cape Verde 6.25 compare
- 53 Suriname 6.23 compare
- 54 Dominican Republic 6.19 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 304 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.13 % 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 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.12 % 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 0.0353 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is difference in male and female life expectancy in Sri Lanka?
- Difference in male and female life expectancy in Sri Lanka was 6.26 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest difference in male and female life expectancy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 9.83 in 1989.
- What is the lowest difference in male and female life expectancy recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.59 in 1950.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for difference in male and female life expectancy?
- Sri Lanka ranks 51st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is difference in male and female life expectancy rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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).