Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Eritrea
Eritrea: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 68.89 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in Eritrea, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
Eritrea recorded 68.89 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 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Eritrea peaked at 68.89 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 37.17 years, in 1983.
That places Eritrea 163rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 37.44 years | — |
| 1961 | 37.91 years | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 38.35 years | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 38.83 years | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 39.18 years | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 39.58 years | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 37.63 years | -4.9% |
| 1967 | 40.15 years | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 40.48 years | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 40.79 years | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 41.16 years | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 41.53 years | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 40.72 years | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 41.13 years | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 39 years | -5.2% |
| 1975 | 39.03 years | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 42.59 years | +9.1% |
| 1977 | 42.98 years | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 43.38 years | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 43.78 years | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 44.62 years | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 44.97 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 44.89 years | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 37.17 years | -17.2% |
| 1984 | 37.68 years | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 38.59 years | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 39.54 years | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 47.36 years | +19.8% |
| 1988 | 48.09 years | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 47.8 years | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 49.73 years | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 50.52 years | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 52.44 years | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 53.19 years | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 54.03 years | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 54.82 years | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 55.5 years | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 56.16 years | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 50 years | -11.0% |
| 1999 | 44.51 years | -11.0% |
| 2000 | 56.28 years | +26.5% |
| 2001 | 58.36 years | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 58.94 years | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 59.45 years | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 60.06 years | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 60.63 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 61.46 years | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 62 years | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 62.42 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 63.2 years | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 63.66 years | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 64.23 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 64.7 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 65 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 65.52 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 65.91 years | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 66.24 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 66.61 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 66.98 years | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 67.31 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 66.98 years | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 66.94 years | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 67.79 years | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 68.62 years | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 68.89 years | +0.4% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 68.89 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.84 years, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 68.89 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Eritrea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +26.5% | 44.51 years | 56.28 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 39.04 years | 37.44 years | 40.79 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 41.53 years | 39 years | 43.78 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.07 years | 37.17 years | 48.09 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.09 years | 44.51 years | 56.16 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.28 years | 56.28 years | 63.2 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.62 years | 63.66 years | 67.31 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.85 years | 66.94 years | 68.89 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More health data for Eritrea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.2 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 821.1 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 425 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0652 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Eritrea?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Eritrea was 68.89 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 68.89 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.17 years in 1983.
- How does Eritrea rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Eritrea ranks 163rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eritrea 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.
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.