Healthy life expectancy at birth in South Korea
South Korea: Healthy life expectancy at birth was 72.45 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
72.45
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
3rd
of 185 countries
All-time high
72.5
in 2019
All-time low
66.55
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Healthy life expectancy at birth in South Korea, 2000–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 72.45 for healthy life expectancy at birth in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, healthy life expectancy at birth in South Korea peaked at 72.5 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 66.55, in 2000.
South Korea ranks 3rd of 185 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Healthy life expectancy at birth in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 66.55 | — |
| 2001 | 67.1 | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 67.4 | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 67.77 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 68.14 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 68.47 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 68.93 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 69.23 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 69.63 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 69.96 | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 70.11 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 70.42 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 70.56 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 70.94 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 71.27 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 71.45 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 71.71 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 72.03 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 72.12 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 72.5 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 72.5 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 72.45 | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 72.45 is above the median for high income countries, which is 68.17, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 72.45 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.44, 1.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 68.32 | 66.55 | 69.96 | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.31 | 70.11 | 72.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.47 | 72.45 | 72.5 | 2 |
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 healthy life expectancy at birth in South Korea?
- Healthy life expectancy at birth in South Korea was 72.45 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest healthy life expectancy at birth recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 72.5 in 2019.
- What is the lowest healthy life expectancy at birth recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.55 in 2000.
- How does South Korea rank for healthy life expectancy at birth?
- South Korea ranks 3rd out of 185 countries with data for 2021.
- Is healthy life expectancy at birth rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).