Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 78.98 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
78.98 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
57th
of 218 countries
All-time high
78.98 years
in 2024
All-time low
45.31 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Life expectancy at birth, total in Saudi Arabia, 1960–2024

020406080196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 78.98 years for life expectancy at birth, total 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 2.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Saudi Arabia peaked at 78.98 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.31 years, in 1960.

Saudi Arabia ranks 57th of 218 countries on this measure, 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in Saudi Arabia, 1960 to 2024.
Year years Change
1960 45.31 years —
1961 45.88 years +1.3%
1962 46.47 years +1.3%
1963 47.09 years +1.3%
1964 47.73 years +1.4%
1965 48.44 years +1.5%
1966 49.19 years +1.6%
1967 49.99 years +1.6%
1968 50.86 years +1.7%
1969 51.77 years +1.8%
1970 52.73 years +1.8%
1971 53.73 years +1.9%
1972 54.74 years +1.9%
1973 55.77 years +1.9%
1974 56.78 years +1.8%
1975 57.78 years +1.8%
1976 58.78 years +1.7%
1977 59.75 years +1.6%
1978 60.69 years +1.6%
1979 61.52 years +1.4%
1980 62.44 years +1.5%
1981 63.25 years +1.3%
1982 64.01 years +1.2%
1983 64.72 years +1.1%
1984 65.39 years +1.0%
1985 66.03 years +1.0%
1986 66.65 years +0.9%
1987 67.24 years +0.9%
1988 67.81 years +0.9%
1989 68.36 years +0.8%
1990 68.87 years +0.8%
1991 69.34 years +0.7%
1992 69.8 years +0.7%
1993 70.21 years +0.6%
1994 70.59 years +0.5%
1995 70.94 years +0.5%
1996 71.29 years +0.5%
1997 71.62 years +0.5%
1998 71.96 years +0.5%
1999 72.29 years +0.5%
2000 72.61 years +0.4%
2001 72.95 years +0.5%
2002 73.3 years +0.5%
2003 73.66 years +0.5%
2004 74.03 years +0.5%
2005 74.4 years +0.5%
2006 74.76 years +0.5%
2007 75.07 years +0.4%
2008 75.3 years +0.3%
2009 75.45 years +0.2%
2010 75.62 years +0.2%
2011 75.81 years +0.3%
2012 76.09 years +0.4%
2013 76.52 years +0.6%
2014 77.12 years +0.8%
2015 77.78 years +0.9%
2016 78.35 years +0.7%
2017 78.72 years +0.5%
2018 78.75 years +0.0%
2019 78.31 years -0.6%
2020 77.6 years -0.9%
2021 77.09 years -0.7%
2022 77.31 years +0.3%
2023 78.73 years +1.8%
2024 78.98 years +0.3%

Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries

  • Saudi Arabia's 78.98 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 81.36 years, 97% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Saudi Arabia's 78.98 years is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 76.71 years, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 48.27 years 45.31 years 51.77 years 10
1970s 57.23 years 52.73 years 61.52 years 10
1980s 65.59 years 62.44 years 68.36 years 10
1990s 70.69 years 68.87 years 72.29 years 10
2000s 74.15 years 72.61 years 75.45 years 10
2010s 77.31 years 75.62 years 78.75 years 10
2020s 77.94 years 77.09 years 78.98 years 5

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 54 Albania 79.78 years compare
  2. 55 Panama 79.78 years compare
  3. 56 Estonia 79.3 years compare
  4. 58 Northern Mariana Islands 78.95 years compare
  5. 59 Croatia 78.93 years compare
  6. 60 New Caledonia 78.92 years compare

See the full ranking of 266 places →

More health data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, total in Saudi Arabia?
Life expectancy at birth, total in Saudi Arabia was 78.98 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 78.98 years in 2024.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 45.31 years in 1960.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
Saudi Arabia ranks 57th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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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Life expectancy at birth, total in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 11 October 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
266 places, 17,256 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

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.