Inequality in life expectancy in China
China: Inequality in life expectancy was 0.0515 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Inequality in life expectancy in China, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, inequality in life expectancy in China stood at 0.0515. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 37.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality in life expectancy in China peaked at 0.0992 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.0515, in 2023.
China ranks 140th of 195 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.0768 | 0.0588 | 0.0992 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0532 | 0.0515 | 0.0562 | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 137 Russia 0.0568 compare
- 138 United States 0.055 compare
- 139 Malta 0.0517 compare
- 141 Saudi Arabia 0.0514 compare
- 142 Romania 0.0492 compare
- 143 Liechtenstein 0.0491 compare
More health data for China
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,029 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,642 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 8.74 million (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 7.51 million (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 8.70 million (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 7.46 million (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 8.44 million (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 7.21 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is inequality in life expectancy in China?
- Inequality in life expectancy in China was 0.0515 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality in life expectancy recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0992 in 2010.
- What is the lowest inequality in life expectancy recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0515 in 2023.
- How does China rank for inequality in life expectancy?
- China ranks 140th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality in life expectancy rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Inequality in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.