Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Rwanda
Rwanda: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 68.02 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in Rwanda, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in Rwanda is 68.02 years, measured 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 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Rwanda peaked at 68.02 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.16 years, in 1994.
Rwanda ranks 168th 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 (years) (Life World Population) in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 47.02 years | — |
| 1961 | 47.46 years | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 47.8 years | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 44 years | -8.0% |
| 1964 | 48.13 years | +9.4% |
| 1965 | 48.2 years | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 48.08 years | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 47.99 years | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 47.73 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 47.44 years | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 47.12 years | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 46.76 years | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 46.34 years | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 45.94 years | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 45.57 years | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 45.32 years | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 45.31 years | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 45.58 years | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 46.16 years | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 47.09 years | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 48.12 years | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 49.22 years | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 50.19 years | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 50.94 years | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 51.45 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 51.7 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 51.71 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 51.47 years | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 50.91 years | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 49.48 years | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 47.76 years | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 46.24 years | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 44.4 years | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 42.94 years | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 12.16 years | -71.7% |
| 1995 | 41.52 years | +241.5% |
| 1996 | 42.49 years | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 41.98 years | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 43.1 years | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 45.75 years | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 47.8 years | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 49.49 years | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 51.26 years | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 53.53 years | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 55.52 years | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 56.97 years | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 58.34 years | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 59.5 years | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 60.64 years | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 61.81 years | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 62.8 years | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 63.48 years | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 64.19 years | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 64.65 years | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 65.09 years | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 65.42 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 65.73 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 66.14 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 66.35 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 66.69 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 66.95 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 66.85 years | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 67.53 years | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 67.78 years | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 68.02 years | +0.3% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 68.02 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.84 years, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 68.02 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 Rwanda 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +241.5% | 12.16 years | 41.52 years |
| 1994 | -71.7% | 42.94 years | 12.16 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.39 years | 44 years | 48.2 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.12 years | 45.31 years | 47.12 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.52 years | 48.12 years | 51.71 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.83 years | 12.16 years | 47.76 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.49 years | 47.8 years | 61.81 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.05 years | 62.8 years | 66.69 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.43 years | 66.85 years | 68.02 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More health data for Rwanda
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.891 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 860.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,738 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9441 % 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 0.065 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9697 % 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 Rwanda?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Rwanda was 68.02 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 68.02 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.16 years in 1994.
- How does Rwanda rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Rwanda ranks 168th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.