Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in South Korea
South Korea: Life expectancy at birth, male (years) was 80.8 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
80.8 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
26th
of 218 countries
All-time high
80.8 years
in 2024
All-time low
51.38 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, male in South Korea, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 80.8 years for life expectancy at birth, male in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, male in South Korea peaked at 80.8 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 51.38 years, in 1960.
South Korea ranks 26th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in South Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 51.38 years | — |
| 1961 | 52.03 years | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 52.65 years | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 52.5 years | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 52.66 years | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 52.89 years | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 52.46 years | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 57.24 years | +9.1% |
| 1968 | 57.15 years | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 57.72 years | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 58.7 years | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 59.1 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 59.4 years | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 59.7 years | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 60 years | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 60.3 years | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 60.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 60.9 years | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 61.1 years | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 61.4 years | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 61.9 years | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 62.4 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 62.9 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 63.4 years | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 64 years | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 64.6 years | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 65.3 years | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 65.9 years | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 66.5 years | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 67 years | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 67.5 years | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 67.9 years | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 68.4 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 68.9 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 69.3 years | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 69.7 years | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 70.2 years | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 70.7 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 71.2 years | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 71.8 years | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 72.3 years | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 72.9 years | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 73.4 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 73.8 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 74.3 years | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 74.9 years | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 75.4 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 75.9 years | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 76.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 76.7 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 76.8 years | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 77.3 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 77.6 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 78.1 years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 78.6 years | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 79 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 79.3 years | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 79.7 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 79.7 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 80.3 years | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 80.5 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 80.6 years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 79.9 years | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 80.6 years | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 80.8 years | +0.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 80.8 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 79.04 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 80.8 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 69.96 years, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 53.87 years | 51.38 years | 57.72 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 60.12 years | 58.7 years | 61.4 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.39 years | 61.9 years | 67 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 69.56 years | 67.5 years | 71.8 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.58 years | 72.3 years | 76.7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.64 years | 76.8 years | 80.3 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.48 years | 79.9 years | 80.8 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 23 Gibraltar 81.03 years compare
- 24 Luxembourg 81 years compare
- 25 Bahrain 80.86 years compare
- 27 Macao 80.6 years compare
- 27 Netherlands 80.6 years compare
- 29 Denmark 80.4 years compare
- 29 New Zealand 80.4 years compare
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 life expectancy at birth, male in South Korea?
- Life expectancy at birth, male in South Korea was 80.8 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, male recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 80.8 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, male recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.38 years in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for life expectancy at birth, male?
- South Korea ranks 26th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, male rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, male (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.