Life expectancy at birth source comparison in South Africa

South Africa: Life expectancy at birth source comparison was 66.14 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
66.14
Change on year
up 1.0%
Rank
201st
of 236 groups
All-time high
66.14
in 2023
All-time low
43.11
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Life expectancy at birth source comparison in South Africa, 1950–2023

0204060195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, life expectancy at birth source comparison in South Africa stood at 66.14. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth source comparison in South Africa peaked at 66.14 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43.11, in 1950.

South Africa ranks 201st of 236 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 47.6 43.11 51.88 10
1960s 54.21 52.58 55.44 10
1970s 57.44 55.68 59.47 10
1980s 61.78 59.96 63.02 10
1990s 61.58 59.19 62.98 10
2000s 55.58 53.91 58.37 10
2010s 63.28 58.89 66.07 10
2020s 64.69 62.01 66.14 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 198 Kiribati 66.47 compare
  2. 199 Zambia 66.35 compare
  3. 200 Sudan 66.33 compare
  4. 202 Papua New Guinea 66.13 compare
  5. 203 Afghanistan 66.03 compare
  6. 204 Djibouti 65.99 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth source comparison in South Africa?
Life expectancy at birth source comparison in South Africa was 66.14 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectancy at birth source comparison recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 66.14 in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth source comparison recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 43.11 in 1950.
How does South Africa rank for life expectancy at birth source comparison?
South Africa ranks 201st out of 236 groups with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy at birth source comparison rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth 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

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth source comparison
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed