Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 77.67 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
77.67 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
79th
of 218 countries
All-time high
77.67 years
in 2024
All-time low
60.6 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Sri Lanka, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in Sri Lanka is 77.67 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Sri Lanka peaked at 77.67 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 60.6 years, in 1960.
That places Sri Lanka 79th out of 218 countries 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 (years) (Life World Population) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 60.6 years | — |
| 1961 | 61.16 years | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 61.63 years | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 62.03 years | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 62.38 years | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 62.79 years | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 63.16 years | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 63.56 years | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 63.87 years | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 64.14 years | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 64.35 years | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 64.24 years | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 64.62 years | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 64.78 years | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 64.97 years | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 65.36 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 65.84 years | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 66.39 years | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 66.84 years | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 67.51 years | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 68.01 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 68.38 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 68.67 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 68.73 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 68.76 years | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 68.88 years | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 68.96 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 69.01 years | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 69 years | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 67.28 years | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 69.24 years | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 69.13 years | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 69.62 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 70.05 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 70.21 years | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 69.75 years | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 69.84 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 69.93 years | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 70.13 years | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 70.43 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 71.18 years | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 71.8 years | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 72.27 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 72.44 years | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 68.02 years | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 73.07 years | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 72.83 years | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 72.98 years | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 72.56 years | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 70.3 years | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 74.46 years | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 74.74 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 75.19 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 75.55 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 75.76 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 75.99 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 76.14 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 76.24 years | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 76.48 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 76.7 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 76.93 years | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 76.28 years | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 77.3 years | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 77.48 years | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 77.67 years | +0.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 77.67 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.53 years, 1.0× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 77.67 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 74.1 years, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 62.53 years | 60.6 years | 64.14 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 65.49 years | 64.24 years | 67.51 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.57 years | 67.28 years | 69.01 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 69.83 years | 69.13 years | 70.43 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.75 years | 68.02 years | 73.07 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.72 years | 74.46 years | 76.7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.13 years | 76.28 years | 77.67 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 76 Montenegro 77.89 years compare
- 77 Iran 77.85 years compare
- 78 Antigua and Barbuda 77.77 years compare
- 80 Ecuador 77.58 years compare
- 81 Argentina 77.54 years compare
- 82 British Virgin Islands 77.43 years compare
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 304 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.13 % 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 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.12 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Sri Lanka was 77.67 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 77.67 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.6 years in 1960.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Sri Lanka ranks 79th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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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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.