Healthy life expectancy at birth in China
China: Healthy life expectancy at birth was 68.58 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Healthy life expectancy at birth in China, 2000–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 68.58 for healthy life expectancy at birth in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, healthy life expectancy at birth in China peaked at 68.58 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 63.13, in 2000.
That places China 29th out of 185 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Healthy life expectancy at birth in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 63.13 | — |
| 2001 | 63.41 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 63.7 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 63.93 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 64.17 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 64.6 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 65.28 | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 65.75 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 65.92 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 66.28 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 66.51 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 66.82 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 67.16 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 67.43 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 67.7 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 67.93 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 68.08 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 68.23 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 68.34 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 68.45 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 68.51 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 68.58 | +0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 68.58 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 63.16, 1.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 68.58 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.44, 1.1× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 64.62 | 63.13 | 66.28 | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.67 | 66.51 | 68.45 | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.55 | 68.51 | 68.58 | 2 |
Countries ranked near China
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,642 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % 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 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % 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 0.0176 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is healthy life expectancy at birth in China?
- Healthy life expectancy at birth in China was 68.58 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest healthy life expectancy at birth recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 68.58 in 2021.
- What is the lowest healthy life expectancy at birth recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.13 in 2000.
- How does China rank for healthy life expectancy at birth?
- China ranks 29th out of 185 countries with data for 2021.
- Is healthy life expectancy at birth rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Healthy life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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