Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in South Africa
South Africa: Life expectancy at birth, male (years) was 62.78 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
62.78 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
190th
of 218 countries
All-time high
62.78 years
in 2024
All-time low
50.82 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, male in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, male in South Africa is 62.78 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, male in South Africa peaked at 62.78 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 50.82 years, in 1960.
That places South Africa 190th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.82 years | — |
| 1961 | 51.19 years | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 51.71 years | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 51.99 years | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 52.31 years | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 52.49 years | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 52.76 years | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 52.93 years | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 53.12 years | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 53.32 years | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 53.5 years | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 53.82 years | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 54.22 years | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 54.58 years | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 54.97 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 55.48 years | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 55.79 years | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 56.16 years | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 56.64 years | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 57.06 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 57.45 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 57.89 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 58.31 years | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 58.69 years | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 59.03 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 59.23 years | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 59.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 59.54 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 59.6 years | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 59.65 years | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 59.48 years | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 59.49 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 59.37 years | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 59.11 years | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 58.8 years | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 58.28 years | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 57.78 years | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 57.22 years | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 56.72 years | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 56.11 years | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 55.41 years | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 54.58 years | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 53.22 years | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 51.99 years | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 51.91 years | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 52.09 years | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 52.23 years | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 52.72 years | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 53.51 years | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 54.82 years | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 56.2 years | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 57.73 years | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 58.71 years | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 59.23 years | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 59.91 years | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 60.8 years | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 61.33 years | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 61.98 years | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 62.3 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 62.7 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 62.17 years | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 59.19 years | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 61.81 years | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 62.61 years | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 62.78 years | +0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 62.78 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 70.59 years, 89% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 62.78 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.25 years, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52.26 years | 50.82 years | 53.32 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.22 years | 53.5 years | 57.06 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.87 years | 57.45 years | 59.65 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.23 years | 56.11 years | 59.49 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.25 years | 51.91 years | 55.41 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.09 years | 56.2 years | 62.7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.71 years | 59.19 years | 62.78 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % 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 0.046 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, male in South Africa?
- Life expectancy at birth, male in South Africa was 62.78 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 Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 62.78 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, male recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.82 years in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for life expectancy at birth, male?
- South Africa ranks 190th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, male rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.
Download this data
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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.