Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in South Africa
South Africa: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 66.31 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
66.31 years
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
184th
of 218 countries
All-time high
66.31 years
in 2024
All-time low
52.58 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 66.31 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 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa peaked at 66.31 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 52.58 years, in 1960.
South Africa ranks 184th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 52.58 years | — |
| 1961 | 53.07 years | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 53.57 years | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 53.9 years | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 54.22 years | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 54.43 years | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 54.73 years | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 54.95 years | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 55.19 years | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 55.44 years | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 55.68 years | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 56.02 years | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 56.38 years | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 56.72 years | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 57.11 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 57.59 years | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 58 years | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 58.48 years | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 58.99 years | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 59.47 years | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 59.96 years | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 60.45 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 60.94 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 61.39 years | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 61.84 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 62.2 years | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 62.42 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 62.69 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 62.9 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 63.02 years | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 62.94 years | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 62.98 years | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 62.84 years | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 62.62 years | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 62.07 years | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 61.6 years | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 61.08 years | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 60.54 years | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 59.91 years | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 59.19 years | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 58.37 years | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 57.16 years | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 55.58 years | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 54.24 years | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 53.96 years | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 53.91 years | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 54.22 years | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 54.95 years | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 55.98 years | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 57.41 years | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 58.89 years | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 60.6 years | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 61.74 years | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 62.39 years | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 63.18 years | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 64.05 years | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 64.75 years | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 65.42 years | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 65.73 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 66.07 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 65.15 years | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 62.01 years | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 65.45 years | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 66.14 years | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 66.31 years | +0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 66.31 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.53 years, 89% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 66.31 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 54.21 years | 52.58 years | 55.44 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.44 years | 55.68 years | 59.47 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 61.78 years | 59.96 years | 63.02 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.58 years | 59.19 years | 62.98 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.58 years | 53.91 years | 58.37 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.28 years | 58.89 years | 66.07 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.01 years | 62.01 years | 66.31 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa was 66.31 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 66.31 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.58 years in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- South Africa ranks 184th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.