Life expectancy at birth, total in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Life expectancy at birth, total was 62.07 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
62.07 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
206th
of 218 countries
All-time high
62.07 years
in 2024
All-time low
40.1 years
in 1964
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 62.07 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 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 62.07 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 40.1 years, in 1964.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 206th of 218 countries 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 Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 40.75 years | — |
| 1961 | 40.16 years | -1.5% |
| 1962 | 40.38 years | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 40.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 40.1 years | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 40.77 years | +1.7% |
| 1966 | 42.17 years | +3.4% |
| 1967 | 42.34 years | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 42.67 years | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 42.96 years | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 43.3 years | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 43.58 years | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 43.87 years | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 44.09 years | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 44.31 years | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 44.53 years | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 44.7 years | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 44.87 years | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 44.63 years | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 45.28 years | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 45.54 years | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 45.73 years | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 45.95 years | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 46.21 years | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 46.51 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 46.66 years | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 47.02 years | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 47.36 years | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 47.76 years | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 48.15 years | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 48.54 years | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 48.94 years | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 49.32 years | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 49.62 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 49.88 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 50.38 years | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 49.38 years | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 50.46 years | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 49.66 years | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 50.09 years | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 51.89 years | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 52.2 years | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 52.37 years | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 52.95 years | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 53.53 years | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 54 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 54.5 years | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 54.95 years | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 55.39 years | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 55.8 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 56.41 years | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 56.91 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 57.35 years | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 57.8 years | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 58.24 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 58.66 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 59.08 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 59.49 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 59.93 years | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 60.24 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 60.43 years | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 60.04 years | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 60.98 years | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 61.9 years | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 62.07 years | +0.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 62.07 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 63.84 years, 97% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 62.07 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 97% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 41.29 years | 40.1 years | 42.96 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 44.31 years | 43.3 years | 45.28 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.69 years | 45.54 years | 48.15 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.63 years | 48.54 years | 50.46 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.76 years | 51.89 years | 55.8 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.41 years | 56.41 years | 60.24 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.08 years | 60.04 years | 62.07 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 203 Liberia 62.32 years compare
- 204 Nauru 62.28 years compare
- 205 Cote d'Ivoire 62.11 years compare
- 207 Sierra Leone 61.96 years compare
- 208 Niger 61.43 years compare
- 209 Burkina Faso 61.29 years compare
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 821.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 133,650 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % 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 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % 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 at birth, total in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Democratic Republic of Congo was 62.07 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 62.07 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1 years in 1964.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 206th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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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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.