Life expectancy at birth, total in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Life expectancy at birth, total was 66.71 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
66.71 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
37th
of 47 groups
All-time high
66.71 years
in 2024
All-time low
40.2 years
in 1971
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Least developed countries, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in Least developed countries is 66.71 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Least developed countries peaked at 66.71 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 40.2 years, in 1971.
Least developed countries ranks 37th of 47 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 Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 41.15 years | — |
| 1961 | 41.58 years | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 42.06 years | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 42.25 years | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 42.84 years | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 42.95 years | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 43.42 years | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 44.02 years | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 44.37 years | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 44.71 years | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 43.49 years | -2.7% |
| 1971 | 40.2 years | -7.6% |
| 1972 | 45.2 years | +12.4% |
| 1973 | 45.69 years | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 45.74 years | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 45.7 years | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 46.27 years | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 46.69 years | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 46.98 years | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 47.78 years | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 48.23 years | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 48.53 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 48.79 years | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 48.19 years | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 48.27 years | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 48.62 years | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 49.34 years | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 50.21 years | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 50.42 years | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 50.9 years | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 51.04 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 50.67 years | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 51.39 years | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 52.01 years | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 52.26 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 52.94 years | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 53.25 years | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 53.73 years | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 53.89 years | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 54.57 years | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 55.4 years | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 55.99 years | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 56.53 years | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 57.17 years | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 57.71 years | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 58.31 years | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 59.02 years | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 59.61 years | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 59.81 years | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 60.57 years | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 61.04 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 61.5 years | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 62.23 years | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 62.73 years | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 62.96 years | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 63.31 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 63.73 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 64.04 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 64.61 years | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 64.98 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 64.84 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 64.27 years | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 65.77 years | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 66.52 years | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 66.71 years | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 42.93 years | 41.15 years | 44.71 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 45.37 years | 40.2 years | 47.78 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 49.15 years | 48.19 years | 50.9 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.57 years | 50.67 years | 54.57 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.01 years | 55.4 years | 60.57 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.11 years | 61.04 years | 64.98 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.62 years | 64.27 years | 66.71 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 34 Canada 82.11 years compare
- 35 New Zealand 82.01 years compare
- 36 Austria 82 years compare
- 37 Netherlands 81.97 years compare
- 38 Puerto Rico 81.9 years compare
- 39 Greece 81.84 years compare
- 40 Cyprus 81.82 years compare
More health data for Least developed countries
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0255 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 3.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0286 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 2.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.03 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 3.32 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Least developed countries?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Least developed countries was 66.71 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 66.71 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.2 years in 1971.
- How does Least developed countries rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Least developed countries ranks 37th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Least developed countries 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
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.