Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Japan
Japan: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 81.69 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
81.69 years
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
11th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.69 years
in 2023
All-time low
57.57 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Japan, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Japan recorded 81.69 years for life expectancy at birth, by sex in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Japan peaked at 81.69 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 57.57 years, in 1950.
Japan ranks 11th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Japan, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 57.57 years | — |
| 1951 | 59.3 years | +3.0% |
| 1952 | 61.26 years | +3.3% |
| 1953 | 61.54 years | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 62.47 years | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 63.61 years | +1.8% |
| 1956 | 63.43 years | -0.3% |
| 1957 | 63.27 years | -0.3% |
| 1958 | 64.75 years | +2.4% |
| 1959 | 65.12 years | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 65.3 years | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 65.91 years | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 66.2 years | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 67.2 years | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 67.63 years | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 67.68 years | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 68.45 years | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 68.79 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 69.04 years | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 69.21 years | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 69.32 years | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 70.13 years | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 70.53 years | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 70.76 years | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 71.25 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 71.75 years | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 72.13 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 72.67 years | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 72.97 years | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 73.43 years | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 73.38 years | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 73.81 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 74.26 years | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 74.24 years | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 74.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 74.89 years | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 75.27 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 75.65 years | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 75.59 years | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 75.97 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 75.94 years | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 76.16 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 76.13 years | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 76.27 years | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 76.59 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 76.42 years | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 77.03 years | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 77.24 years | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 77.21 years | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 77.17 years | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 77.68 years | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 78.01 years | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 78.28 years | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 78.32 years | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 78.61 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 78.5 years | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 78.92 years | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 79.1 years | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 79.21 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 79.51 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 79.51 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 79.41 years | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 79.9 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 80.17 years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 80.45 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 80.72 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 80.93 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 81.06 years | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 81.22 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 81.36 years | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 81.58 years | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 81.5 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.06 years | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 81.69 years | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 62.23 years | 57.57 years | 65.12 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 67.54 years | 65.3 years | 69.21 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 71.49 years | 69.32 years | 73.43 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.77 years | 73.38 years | 75.97 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.62 years | 75.94 years | 77.24 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.61 years | 77.68 years | 79.51 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.47 years | 79.41 years | 81.36 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.46 years | 81.06 years | 81.69 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 8 Liechtenstein 81.84 years compare
- 9 French Polynesia 81.78 years compare
- 10 Norway 81.75 years compare
- 12 Qatar 81.61 years compare
- 13 Italy 81.57 years compare
- 14 Saint Barthelemy 81.46 years compare
More health data for Japan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,294 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 178 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 15-19, male, annual growth rate 0.0526 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per capita 0.0236 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, annual growth rate 0.6933 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.0243 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Japan?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Japan was 81.69 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 81.69 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.57 years in 1950.
- How does Japan rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Japan ranks 11th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.