Life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia
South Asia: Life expectancy at birth, total was 72.56 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 72.56 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 Asia peaked at 72.56 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.58 years, in 1960.
That places South Asia 24th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 in South Asia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 45.58 years | — |
| 1961 | 45.88 years | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 46.25 years | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 46.54 years | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 46.91 years | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 45.84 years | -2.3% |
| 1966 | 46.3 years | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 46.63 years | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 48.16 years | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 48.5 years | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 48.14 years | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 46.68 years | -3.0% |
| 1972 | 49.45 years | +5.9% |
| 1973 | 49.86 years | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 50.36 years | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 50.92 years | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 51.43 years | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 51.93 years | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 52.49 years | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 53.06 years | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 53.61 years | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 54.16 years | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 54.69 years | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 55.21 years | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 55.71 years | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 56.17 years | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 56.68 years | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 57.13 years | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 57.56 years | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 57.97 years | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 58.41 years | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 58.55 years | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 59.24 years | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 59.64 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 60.08 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 60.49 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 60.92 years | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 61.37 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 61.82 years | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 62.29 years | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 62.8 years | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 63.26 years | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 63.78 years | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 64.24 years | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 64.59 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 65.13 years | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 65.57 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 65.99 years | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 66.43 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 66.84 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 67.35 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 67.81 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 68.26 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 68.69 years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 69.12 years | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 69.51 years | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 69.92 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 70.29 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 70.65 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 71 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 70.36 years | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 67.82 years | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 72.01 years | +6.2% |
| 2023 | 72.32 years | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 72.56 years | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.66 years | 45.58 years | 48.5 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 50.43 years | 46.68 years | 53.06 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.89 years | 53.61 years | 57.97 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.28 years | 58.41 years | 62.29 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.86 years | 62.8 years | 66.84 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.26 years | 67.35 years | 71 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.02 years | 67.82 years | 72.56 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More health data for South Asia
- Population ages 65 and above, male, per capita 0.035 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per capita 0.6806 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, annual growth rate 3.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per capita 0.0385 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male, annual growth rate 4.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, female, annual growth rate 0.9216 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia was 72.56 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 72.56 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.58 years in 1960.
- How does South Asia rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- South Asia ranks 24th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia 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.