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Life expectancy at birth, by sex in South Africa

South Africa: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 62.61 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
62.61 years
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
207th
of 236 countries
All-time high
62.7 years
in 2019
All-time low
42.18 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Life expectancy at birth, by sex in South Africa, 1950–2023

0204060195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, by sex in South Africa is 62.61 years, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in South Africa peaked at 62.7 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 42.18 years, in 1950.

That places South Africa 207th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth, by sex in South Africa, year by year

Year years Change
1950 42.18 years —
1951 43.07 years +2.1%
1952 43.98 years +2.1%
1953 44.89 years +2.1%
1954 45.84 years +2.1%
1955 46.82 years +2.1%
1956 47.74 years +2.0%
1957 48.61 years +1.8%
1958 49.51 years +1.8%
1959 50.17 years +1.4%
1960 50.82 years +1.3%
1961 51.19 years +0.7%
1962 51.71 years +1.0%
1963 51.99 years +0.6%
1964 52.31 years +0.6%
1965 52.49 years +0.4%
1966 52.76 years +0.5%
1967 52.93 years +0.3%
1968 53.12 years +0.4%
1969 53.32 years +0.4%
1970 53.5 years +0.3%
1971 53.82 years +0.6%
1972 54.22 years +0.7%
1973 54.58 years +0.7%
1974 54.97 years +0.7%
1975 55.48 years +0.9%
1976 55.79 years +0.6%
1977 56.16 years +0.7%
1978 56.64 years +0.9%
1979 57.06 years +0.7%
1980 57.45 years +0.7%
1981 57.89 years +0.8%
1982 58.31 years +0.7%
1983 58.69 years +0.7%
1984 59.03 years +0.6%
1985 59.23 years +0.3%
1986 59.31 years +0.1%
1987 59.54 years +0.4%
1988 59.6 years +0.1%
1989 59.65 years +0.1%
1990 59.48 years -0.3%
1991 59.49 years +0.0%
1992 59.37 years -0.2%
1993 59.11 years -0.4%
1994 58.8 years -0.5%
1995 58.28 years -0.9%
1996 57.78 years -0.9%
1997 57.22 years -1.0%
1998 56.72 years -0.9%
1999 56.11 years -1.1%
2000 55.41 years -1.2%
2001 54.58 years -1.5%
2002 53.22 years -2.5%
2003 51.99 years -2.3%
2004 51.91 years -0.2%
2005 52.09 years +0.3%
2006 52.23 years +0.3%
2007 52.72 years +0.9%
2008 53.51 years +1.5%
2009 54.82 years +2.4%
2010 56.2 years +2.5%
2011 57.73 years +2.7%
2012 58.71 years +1.7%
2013 59.23 years +0.9%
2014 59.91 years +1.1%
2015 60.8 years +1.5%
2016 61.33 years +0.9%
2017 61.98 years +1.1%
2018 62.3 years +0.5%
2019 62.7 years +0.6%
2020 62.17 years -0.8%
2021 59.19 years -4.8%
2022 61.81 years +4.4%
2023 62.61 years +1.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 62.61 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 70.5 years, 89% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 62.61 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.07 years, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 46.28 years 42.18 years 50.17 years 10
1960s 52.26 years 50.82 years 53.32 years 10
1970s 55.22 years 53.5 years 57.06 years 10
1980s 58.87 years 57.45 years 59.65 years 10
1990s 58.23 years 56.11 years 59.49 years 10
2000s 53.25 years 51.91 years 55.41 years 10
2010s 60.09 years 56.2 years 62.7 years 10
2020s 61.45 years 59.19 years 62.61 years 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 204 Namibia 63.33 years compare
  2. 205 Sudan 63.27 years compare
  3. 206 Ghana 63.13 years compare
  4. 208 Togo 62.54 years compare
  5. 209 Angola 62.1 years compare
  6. 210 Equatorial Guinea 62.04 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in South Africa?
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in South Africa was 62.61 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 South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 62.7 years in 2019.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 42.18 years in 1950.
How does South Africa rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
South Africa ranks 207th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa 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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Life expectancy at birth, by sex in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/female-and-male-life-expectancy-at-birth-in-years/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, by sex
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Period life expectancy at birth.