Life expectancy, source comparison in Rwanda
Rwanda: Life expectancy, source comparison was 67.78 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
67.78 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
185th
of 236 countries
All-time high
67.78 years
in 2023
All-time low
12.16 years
in 1994
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy, source comparison in Rwanda, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy, source comparison in Rwanda stood at 67.78 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy, source comparison in Rwanda peaked at 67.78 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 12.16 years, in 1994.
Rwanda ranks 185th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy, source comparison in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.18 years | — |
| 1951 | 43.47 years | +0.7% |
| 1952 | 43.77 years | +0.7% |
| 1953 | 44.09 years | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 44.43 years | +0.8% |
| 1955 | 44.79 years | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 45.18 years | +0.9% |
| 1957 | 45.61 years | +1.0% |
| 1958 | 46.05 years | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 46.55 years | +1.1% |
| 1960 | 47.02 years | +1.0% |
| 1961 | 47.46 years | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 47.8 years | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 44 years | -8.0% |
| 1964 | 48.13 years | +9.4% |
| 1965 | 48.2 years | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 48.08 years | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 47.99 years | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 47.73 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 47.44 years | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 47.12 years | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 46.76 years | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 46.34 years | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 45.94 years | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 45.57 years | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 45.32 years | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 45.31 years | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 45.58 years | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 46.16 years | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 47.09 years | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 48.12 years | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 49.22 years | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 50.19 years | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 50.94 years | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 51.45 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 51.7 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 51.71 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 51.47 years | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 50.91 years | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 49.48 years | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 47.76 years | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 46.24 years | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 44.4 years | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 42.94 years | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 12.16 years | -71.7% |
| 1995 | 41.52 years | +241.5% |
| 1996 | 42.49 years | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 41.98 years | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 43.1 years | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 45.75 years | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 47.8 years | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 49.49 years | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 51.26 years | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 53.53 years | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 55.52 years | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 56.97 years | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 58.34 years | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 59.5 years | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 60.64 years | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 61.81 years | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 62.8 years | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 63.48 years | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 64.19 years | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 64.65 years | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 65.09 years | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 65.42 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 65.73 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 66.14 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 66.35 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 66.69 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 66.95 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 66.85 years | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 67.53 years | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 67.78 years | +0.4% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 67.78 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.65 years, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 67.78 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1 years, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy, source comparison in Rwanda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +241.5% | 12.16 years | 41.52 years |
| 1994 | -71.7% | 42.94 years | 12.16 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.71 years | 43.18 years | 46.55 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 47.39 years | 44 years | 48.2 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.12 years | 45.31 years | 47.12 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.52 years | 48.12 years | 51.71 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.83 years | 12.16 years | 47.76 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.49 years | 47.8 years | 61.81 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.05 years | 62.8 years | 66.69 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.28 years | 66.85 years | 67.78 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More health data for Rwanda
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.891 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 860.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,738 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9441 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.065 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9697 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy, source comparison in Rwanda?
- Life expectancy, source comparison in Rwanda was 67.78 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy, source comparison recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 67.78 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy, source comparison recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.16 years in 1994.
- How does Rwanda rank for life expectancy, source comparison?
- Rwanda ranks 185th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy, source comparison rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy, source comparison. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.