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Life expectancy at birth, total in Africa Western and Central

Africa Western and Central: Life expectancy at birth, total was 59.04 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
59.04 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
45th
of 45 groups
All-time high
59.04 years
in 2024
All-time low
37.78 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Life expectancy at birth, total in Africa Western and Central, 1960–2024

0204060196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.

Analysis

Africa Western and Central recorded 59.04 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Africa Western and Central peaked at 59.04 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.78 years, in 1960.

Africa Western and Central ranks 45th of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth, total in Africa Western and Central, year by year

Year years Change
1960 37.78 years —
1961 38.06 years +0.7%
1962 38.68 years +1.6%
1963 38.94 years +0.7%
1964 39.19 years +0.7%
1965 39.48 years +0.7%
1966 39.72 years +0.6%
1967 39.52 years -0.5%
1968 40.25 years +1.8%
1969 40.56 years +0.8%
1970 41.27 years +1.8%
1971 41.73 years +1.1%
1972 42.35 years +1.5%
1973 42.86 years +1.2%
1974 43.43 years +1.3%
1975 43.96 years +1.2%
1976 44.75 years +1.8%
1977 45.36 years +1.4%
1978 45.87 years +1.1%
1979 46.32 years +1.0%
1980 46.69 years +0.8%
1981 47.07 years +0.8%
1982 47.37 years +0.6%
1983 47.61 years +0.5%
1984 47.79 years +0.4%
1985 47.94 years +0.3%
1986 48.03 years +0.2%
1987 48.13 years +0.2%
1988 48.36 years +0.5%
1989 48.49 years +0.3%
1990 48.45 years -0.1%
1991 48.52 years +0.1%
1992 48.68 years +0.3%
1993 48.85 years +0.3%
1994 48.85 years +0.0%
1995 49.02 years +0.3%
1996 49.11 years +0.2%
1997 49.21 years +0.2%
1998 49.45 years +0.5%
1999 49.82 years +0.8%
2000 50.29 years +1.0%
2001 50.67 years +0.8%
2002 51.1 years +0.8%
2003 51.57 years +0.9%
2004 52.1 years +1.0%
2005 52.55 years +0.9%
2006 52.97 years +0.8%
2007 53.48 years +1.0%
2008 53.91 years +0.8%
2009 53.85 years -0.1%
2010 54.6 years +1.4%
2011 54.96 years +0.7%
2012 55.29 years +0.6%
2013 55.55 years +0.5%
2014 55.69 years +0.3%
2015 56.03 years +0.6%
2016 56.39 years +0.6%
2017 56.62 years +0.4%
2018 57.03 years +0.7%
2019 57.14 years +0.2%
2020 57.36 years +0.4%
2021 57.35 years -0.0%
2022 57.98 years +1.1%
2023 58.85 years +1.5%
2024 59.04 years +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 39.22 years 37.78 years 40.56 years 10
1970s 43.79 years 41.27 years 46.32 years 10
1980s 47.75 years 46.69 years 48.49 years 10
1990s 49 years 48.45 years 49.82 years 10
2000s 52.25 years 50.29 years 53.91 years 10
2010s 55.93 years 54.6 years 57.14 years 10
2020s 58.12 years 57.35 years 59.04 years 5

Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central

  1. 42 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 81.39 years compare
  2. 43 Chile 81.36 years compare
  3. 44 Maldives 81.28 years compare
  4. 45 Isle of Man 81.09 years compare
  5. 46 Costa Rica 81 years compare
  6. 47 Germany 80.79 years compare
  7. 48 United States Virgin Islands 80.77 years compare

See the full ranking of 265 places →

More health data for Africa Western and Central

All data for Africa Western and Central →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, total in Africa Western and Central?
Life expectancy at birth, total in Africa Western and Central was 59.04 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Africa Western and Central?
The highest recorded value was 59.04 years in 2024.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Africa Western and Central?
The lowest recorded value was 37.78 years in 1960.
How does Africa Western and Central rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
Africa Western and Central ranks 45th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy at birth, total in Africa Western and Central. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years/africa-western-and-central/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
265 places, 17,191 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

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.