Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 67.6 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
67.6 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
171st
of 218 countries
All-time high
67.6 years
in 2024
All-time low
36.32 years
in 1983
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Ethiopia, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 67.6 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Ethiopia peaked at 67.6 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 36.32 years, in 1983.
That places Ethiopia 171st out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 39.62 years | — |
| 1961 | 40.2 years | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 40.53 years | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 40.97 years | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 41.26 years | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 41.41 years | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 39.34 years | -5.0% |
| 1967 | 41.94 years | +6.6% |
| 1968 | 42.09 years | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 42.13 years | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 42.12 years | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 42.22 years | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 41.03 years | -2.8% |
| 1973 | 41.1 years | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 39.08 years | -4.9% |
| 1975 | 38.94 years | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 41.32 years | +6.1% |
| 1977 | 41.4 years | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 41.51 years | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 42.38 years | +2.1% |
| 1980 | 42.81 years | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 43.08 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 43.43 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 36.32 years | -16.4% |
| 1984 | 36.74 years | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 37.75 years | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 38.37 years | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 45.89 years | +19.6% |
| 1988 | 45.68 years | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 45.64 years | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 45.12 years | -1.2% |
| 1991 | 46.66 years | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 47.28 years | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 47.68 years | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 47.93 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 48.16 years | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 48.7 years | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 49.21 years | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 49.78 years | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 49.49 years | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 50.88 years | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 51.43 years | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 52.09 years | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 52.88 years | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 53.73 years | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 54.36 years | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 55.4 years | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 56.57 years | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 57.73 years | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 58.72 years | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 59.71 years | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 60.59 years | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 61.44 years | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 62.16 years | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 62.93 years | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 63.59 years | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 64.16 years | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 64.77 years | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 65.26 years | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 65.74 years | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 65.97 years | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 65.33 years | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 66.9 years | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 67.31 years | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 67.6 years | +0.4% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 67.6 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.84 years, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 67.6 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 40.95 years | 39.34 years | 42.13 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 41.11 years | 38.94 years | 42.38 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 41.57 years | 36.32 years | 45.89 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 48 years | 45.12 years | 49.78 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.38 years | 50.88 years | 58.72 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.04 years | 59.71 years | 65.74 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.62 years | 65.33 years | 67.6 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More health data for Ethiopia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9494 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 744.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 19,997 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 148 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.34 % 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 0.0709 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.36 % 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 Ethiopia?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Ethiopia was 67.6 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 67.6 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.32 years in 1983.
- How does Ethiopia rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Ethiopia ranks 171st out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.