Inequality in life expectancy by country
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.
Countries reporting
191
Highest
0.3864
Nigeria
Lowest
0.0179
San Marino
Median
0.103
Years covered
14
2010–2023
Data points
2,730
What the numbers show
Inequality in life expectancy is currently reported for 191 countries. The highest value is 0.3864 in Nigeria; the lowest is 0.0179 in San Marino.
The median across all reporting countries is 0.103, and the mean is 0.1303.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 22.
Over the past decade 14 countries rose and 177 fell. The largest increase was in Libya (up 72.3%), and the largest decrease in Maldives (down 46.0%).
Inequality in life expectancy: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 0.3864 | 2023 | down 10.2% | falling |
| 2 | Niger | 0.3766 | 2023 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 3 | Chad | 0.374 | 2023 | down 14.7% | falling |
| 4 | Somalia | 0.3721 | 2023 | down 15.9% | falling |
| 5 | South Sudan | 0.3667 | 2023 | down 1.9% | falling |
| 6 | Guinea | 0.3537 | 2023 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 7 | Sierra Leone | 0.3512 | 2023 | down 21.9% | falling |
| 8 | Central African Republic | 0.3496 | 2023 | down 17.7% | rising |
| 9 | Mali | 0.3403 | 2023 | down 15.3% | falling |
| 10 | Benin | 0.3213 | 2023 | down 13.0% | falling |
| 11 | Burkina Faso | 0.3109 | 2023 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 12 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 0.3077 | 2023 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 13 | Lesotho | 0.2999 | 2023 | down 8.4% | falling |
| 14 | Liberia | 0.2923 | 2023 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 15 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.289 | 2023 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 16 | Guinea-Bissau | 0.286 | 2023 | down 19.7% | falling |
| 17 | Madagascar | 0.2857 | 2023 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 18 | Cote d'Ivoire | 0.285 | 2023 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 19 | Cameroon | 0.2794 | 2023 | down 20.3% | falling |
| 20 | Angola | 0.2739 | 2023 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 21 | Mozambique | 0.2732 | 2023 | down 19.9% | falling |
| 22 | Togo | 0.2648 | 2023 | down 18.7% | falling |
| 23 | Pakistan | 0.2604 | 2023 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 24 | Haiti | 0.2532 | 2023 | down 16.8% | falling |
| 25 | Afghanistan | 0.252 | 2023 | down 20.3% | falling |
| 26 | Burundi | 0.248 | 2023 | down 22.5% | falling |
| 27 | Kiribati | 0.2472 | 2023 | down 4.5% | flat |
| 28 | Djibouti | 0.2422 | 2023 | down 18.6% | falling |
| 29 | Sudan | 0.2405 | 2023 | down 17.6% | falling |
| 30 | Eswatini | 0.237 | 2023 | down 19.3% | falling |
| 31 | Zambia | 0.2336 | 2023 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 32 | Ethiopia | 0.2237 | 2023 | down 25.4% | falling |
| 33 | Zimbabwe | 0.2231 | 2023 | down 22.1% | falling |
| 34 | Comoros | 0.2223 | 2023 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 35 | East Timor | 0.2221 | 2023 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 36 | Gambia | 0.222 | 2023 | down 21.9% | falling |
| 37 | Ghana | 0.2211 | 2023 | down 20.8% | falling |
| 38 | Bolivia | 0.2099 | 2023 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 39 | Kenya | 0.209 | 2023 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 40 | Myanmar | 0.2047 | 2023 | down 20.2% | falling |
| 41 | Papua New Guinea | 0.2024 | 2023 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 42 | Uganda | 0.2014 | 2023 | down 26.5% | falling |
| 43 | Congo | 0.2005 | 2023 | down 19.9% | falling |
| 44 | Tanzania | 0.1989 | 2023 | down 24.6% | falling |
| 45 | South Africa | 0.1983 | 2023 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 46 | Malawi | 0.1981 | 2023 | down 29.0% | falling |
| 47 | Yemen | 0.1972 | 2023 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 48 | Laos | 0.1967 | 2023 | down 24.1% | falling |
| 49 | Eritrea | 0.1942 | 2023 | down 20.5% | falling |
| 50 | Mauritania | 0.1935 | 2023 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 51 | Turkmenistan | 0.1931 | 2023 | down 5.2% | falling |
| 52 | Namibia | 0.1925 | 2023 | down 18.1% | falling |
| 53 | Botswana | 0.1922 | 2023 | down 21.9% | falling |
| 54 | Gabon | 0.1905 | 2023 | down 22.1% | falling |
| 55 | Rwanda | 0.1889 | 2023 | down 21.2% | falling |
| 56 | Palestine | 0.1818 | 2023 | up 53.7% | falling |
| 57 | Senegal | 0.1799 | 2023 | down 26.9% | falling |
| 58 | Dominica | 0.1727 | 2023 | up 18.5% | rising |
| 59 | Dominican Republic | 0.1698 | 2023 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 60 | Libya | 0.1684 | 2023 | up 72.3% | falling |
| 61 | Nauru | 0.1682 | 2023 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 62 | Marshall Islands | 0.1643 | 2023 | down 16.6% | falling |
| 63 | Bangladesh | 0.1575 | 2023 | down 25.7% | falling |
| 64 | Tajikistan | 0.1575 | 2023 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 65 | India | 0.1547 | 2023 | down 32.6% | falling |
| 66 | Fiji | 0.1545 | 2023 | up 23.7% | rising |
| 67 | Nepal | 0.1497 | 2023 | down 28.4% | falling |
| 68 | Philippines | 0.1497 | 2023 | down 4.1% | falling |
| 69 | Guyana | 0.1491 | 2023 | down 20.1% | falling |
| 70 | Cambodia | 0.1491 | 2023 | down 25.3% | falling |
| 71 | Micronesia (country) | 0.1436 | 2023 | down 20.5% | falling |
| 72 | Palau | 0.1357 | 2023 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 73 | Syria | 0.1332 | 2023 | down 32.2% | falling |
| 74 | Iraq | 0.1328 | 2023 | down 24.0% | falling |
| 75 | Bhutan | 0.1314 | 2023 | down 25.5% | falling |
| 76 | Tuvalu | 0.1313 | 2023 | down 23.2% | falling |
| 77 | Guatemala | 0.1305 | 2023 | down 24.2% | falling |
| 78 | Vietnam | 0.1272 | 2023 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 79 | Venezuela | 0.1261 | 2023 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 80 | Indonesia | 0.1252 | 2023 | down 24.8% | falling |
| 81 | Algeria | 0.1189 | 2023 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 82 | Solomon Islands | 0.1177 | 2023 | down 19.8% | falling |
| 83 | Jamaica | 0.1163 | 2023 | up 3.3% | flat |
| 84 | North Korea | 0.1146 | 2023 | down 19.7% | falling |
| 85 | Vanuatu | 0.1106 | 2023 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 86 | Lebanon | 0.1094 | 2023 | up 29.6% | rising |
| 87 | Suriname | 0.1081 | 2023 | down 19.9% | falling |
| 88 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.1066 | 2023 | down 15.4% | falling |
| 89 | Paraguay | 0.1063 | 2023 | down 22.2% | falling |
| 90 | Morocco | 0.1063 | 2023 | down 26.8% | falling |
| 91 | Saint Lucia | 0.1063 | 2023 | down 4.7% | flat |
| 92 | Egypt | 0.1044 | 2023 | down 25.8% | falling |
| 93 | Azerbaijan | 0.1038 | 2023 | down 36.1% | falling |
| 94 | Samoa | 0.1032 | 2023 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 95 | Kyrgyzstan | 0.1031 | 2023 | down 27.4% | falling |
| 96 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.103 | 2023 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 97 | Grenada | 0.1011 | 2023 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 98 | Panama | 0.1006 | 2023 | down 8.9% | falling |
| 99 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0.0992 | 2023 | down 13.6% | falling |
| 100 | Honduras | 0.0991 | 2023 | down 24.7% | falling |
| 101 | Sao Tome and Principe | 0.0989 | 2023 | down 41.6% | falling |
| 102 | Mauritius | 0.0983 | 2023 | up 1.0% | rising |
| 103 | Peru | 0.0966 | 2023 | down 16.4% | falling |
| 104 | Brazil | 0.0952 | 2023 | down 15.6% | falling |
| 105 | Bahamas | 0.0946 | 2023 | down 10.3% | falling |
| 106 | Nicaragua | 0.0941 | 2023 | down 26.1% | falling |
| 107 | Seychelles | 0.0929 | 2023 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 108 | Moldova | 0.0907 | 2023 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 109 | Mexico | 0.0896 | 2023 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 110 | El Salvador | 0.0887 | 2023 | down 24.9% | falling |
| 111 | Uzbekistan | 0.0886 | 2023 | down 35.0% | falling |
| 112 | Mongolia | 0.0879 | 2023 | down 34.3% | falling |
| 113 | Jordan | 0.0878 | 2023 | down 22.2% | falling |
| 114 | Ecuador | 0.0836 | 2023 | down 22.3% | falling |
| 115 | Colombia | 0.0828 | 2023 | down 22.7% | falling |
| 116 | Turkey | 0.081 | 2023 | down 9.4% | falling |
| 117 | Tonga | 0.0792 | 2023 | down 12.2% | falling |
| 118 | Iran | 0.0785 | 2023 | down 26.4% | falling |
| 119 | Cape Verde | 0.0765 | 2023 | down 37.9% | falling |
| 120 | Argentina | 0.0739 | 2023 | down 19.6% | falling |
| 121 | Thailand | 0.0734 | 2023 | down 15.2% | falling |
| 122 | Belize | 0.0732 | 2023 | down 31.6% | falling |
| 123 | Ukraine | 0.0732 | 2023 | down 3.4% | falling |
| 124 | Barbados | 0.0724 | 2023 | down 20.8% | falling |
| 125 | Kazakhstan | 0.0717 | 2023 | down 30.4% | falling |
| 126 | Tunisia | 0.0716 | 2023 | down 32.7% | falling |
| 127 | Brunei | 0.069 | 2023 | down 2.3% | flat |
| 128 | Georgia | 0.0687 | 2023 | down 16.8% | falling |
| 129 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0.0683 | 2023 | down 12.1% | falling |
| 130 | Armenia | 0.0672 | 2023 | down 32.3% | falling |
| 131 | Oman | 0.0661 | 2023 | down 12.2% | falling |
| 132 | Albania | 0.0637 | 2023 | down 14.0% | falling |
| 133 | Malaysia | 0.061 | 2023 | down 3.9% | flat |
| 134 | Costa Rica | 0.0605 | 2023 | down 13.1% | falling |
| 135 | Uruguay | 0.0586 | 2023 | down 22.5% | falling |
| 136 | Kuwait | 0.0578 | 2023 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 137 | Russia | 0.0568 | 2023 | down 31.2% | falling |
| 138 | United States | 0.055 | 2023 | down 3.4% | flat |
| 140 | China | 0.0515 | 2023 | down 37.4% | falling |
| 141 | Saudi Arabia | 0.0514 | 2023 | down 29.4% | falling |
| 142 | Romania | 0.0492 | 2023 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 144 | Bulgaria | 0.0487 | 2023 | down 25.8% | falling |
| 146 | Cuba | 0.0478 | 2023 | down 7.1% | flat |
| 147 | Sri Lanka | 0.0475 | 2023 | down 30.3% | falling |
| 148 | Bahrain | 0.0474 | 2023 | down 17.7% | falling |
| 149 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.0468 | 2023 | down 6.8% | falling |
| 150 | Andorra | 0.0467 | 2023 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 151 | Chile | 0.046 | 2023 | down 27.5% | falling |
| 152 | Slovakia | 0.0457 | 2023 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 153 | New Zealand | 0.0439 | 2023 | up 3.0% | flat |
| 154 | North Macedonia | 0.043 | 2023 | down 40.6% | falling |
| 155 | Canada | 0.0426 | 2023 | down 7.2% | flat |
| 156 | Serbia | 0.0425 | 2023 | down 20.3% | falling |
| 157 | Latvia | 0.0422 | 2023 | down 21.9% | falling |
| 158 | Lithuania | 0.0414 | 2023 | down 20.2% | falling |
| 159 | Poland | 0.0392 | 2023 | down 17.8% | falling |
| 160 | United Arab Emirates | 0.039 | 2023 | down 23.6% | falling |
| 161 | United Kingdom | 0.0385 | 2023 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 162 | Monaco | 0.0373 | 2023 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 163 | Hungary | 0.0372 | 2023 | down 23.1% | falling |
| 164 | France | 0.0371 | 2023 | down 5.6% | flat |
| 165 | Maldives | 0.0371 | 2023 | down 46.0% | falling |
| 166 | Qatar | 0.0369 | 2023 | down 34.7% | falling |
| 167 | Croatia | 0.0361 | 2023 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 168 | Israel | 0.0356 | 2023 | up 3.8% | falling |
| 169 | Belarus | 0.0354 | 2023 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 170 | Belgium | 0.035 | 2023 | down 7.8% | falling |
| 171 | Montenegro | 0.0334 | 2023 | down 27.3% | falling |
| 172 | Netherlands | 0.033 | 2023 | down 7.9% | falling |
| 173 | Greece | 0.0327 | 2023 | down 9.3% | flat |
| 174 | Germany | 0.0324 | 2023 | down 8.8% | falling |
| 175 | Austria | 0.032 | 2023 | down 8.2% | falling |
| 176 | Portugal | 0.0313 | 2023 | down 9.2% | falling |
| 178 | Switzerland | 0.0312 | 2023 | down 15.0% | falling |
| 179 | Denmark | 0.0306 | 2023 | down 13.5% | falling |
| 180 | Czechia | 0.0304 | 2023 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 181 | Estonia | 0.0301 | 2023 | down 20.7% | falling |
| 182 | Australia | 0.0296 | 2023 | down 21.7% | falling |
| 183 | Cyprus | 0.0294 | 2023 | up 1.4% | rising |
| 184 | Finland | 0.0291 | 2023 | down 0.5% | falling |
| 185 | Spain | 0.0277 | 2023 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 186 | Slovenia | 0.0262 | 2023 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 187 | Singapore | 0.0262 | 2023 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 188 | Italy | 0.0262 | 2023 | down 16.5% | falling |
| 189 | Sweden | 0.0256 | 2023 | down 16.5% | falling |
| 190 | Japan | 0.0255 | 2023 | down 13.9% | falling |
| 191 | South Korea | 0.0246 | 2023 | down 24.1% | falling |
| 192 | Norway | 0.0245 | 2023 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 193 | Hong Kong | 0.0229 | 2023 | down 18.2% | falling |
| 194 | Iceland | 0.0202 | 2023 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 195 | San Marino | 0.0179 | 2023 | down 20.9% | falling |
About this data
The Atkinson index measures inequality on a scale from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher inequality. Inequality is measured here in terms of the number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.