Life expectancy (Organisation) in China
China: Life expectancy (Organisation) was 78 Years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy in China, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Years.
Analysis
In 2024, life expectancy in China stood at 78 Years.
The figure is up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in China peaked at 78.2 Years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 33.4 Years, in 1960.
That places China 27th out of 41 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy (Organisation) in China, year by year
| Year | Years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 33.4 Years | — |
| 1961 | 40.2 Years | +20.4% |
| 1962 | 51 Years | +26.9% |
| 1963 | 51.7 Years | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 52.3 Years | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 53 Years | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 53.7 Years | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 54.4 Years | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 55.2 Years | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 56 Years | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 56.8 Years | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 57.7 Years | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 58.6 Years | +1.6% |
| 1973 | 59.5 Years | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 60.2 Years | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 61 Years | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 61.2 Years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 62.5 Years | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 63.1 Years | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 63.7 Years | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 64.2 Years | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 64.8 Years | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 65.2 Years | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 65.7 Years | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 66.1 Years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 66.5 Years | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 66.9 Years | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 67.3 Years | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 67.6 Years | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 67.9 Years | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 68.2 Years | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 68.6 Years | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 69.1 Years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 69.5 Years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 69.8 Years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 70.4 Years | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 70.8 Years | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 71.2 Years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 71.6 Years | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 72 Years | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 72.3 Years | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 72.7 Years | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 73 Years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 73.4 Years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 73.7 Years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 74.1 Years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 74.4 Years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 74.8 Years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 74.8 Years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 75.3 Years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 75.7 Years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 75.9 Years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 76.2 Years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 76.5 Years | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 76.7 Years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 77 Years | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 77.2 Years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 77.2 Years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 77.7 Years | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 77.9 Years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 78 Years | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 78.1 Years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 78.2 Years | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 78 Years | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 78 Years | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 78 Years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 76.3 Years, 1.0× the median. (10 countries reporting)
- China's 78 Years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 80.05 Years, 97% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy (Organisation) in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +26.9% | 40.2 Years | 51 Years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.09 Years | 33.4 Years | 56 Years | 10 |
| 1970s | 60.43 Years | 56.8 Years | 63.7 Years | 10 |
| 1980s | 66.22 Years | 64.2 Years | 67.9 Years | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.12 Years | 68.2 Years | 72 Years | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.85 Years | 72.3 Years | 75.3 Years | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.8 Years | 75.7 Years | 77.9 Years | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.06 Years | 78 Years | 78.2 Years | 5 |
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)
- 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in China?
- Life expectancy in China was 78 Years in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2 Years in 2022.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.4 Years in 1960.
- How does China rank for life expectancy?
- China ranks 27th out of 41 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset presents data on life expectancy at birth, and at ages 40, 60, 65 and 80 years old. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.