Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in World
World: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 73.48 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
73.48 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
21st
of 47 groups
All-time high
73.48 years
in 2024
All-time low
50.94 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in World, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
World recorded 73.48 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in World peaked at 73.48 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 50.94 years, in 1960.
World ranks 21st of 47 groups 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 World, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.94 years | — |
| 1961 | 52.8 years | +3.6% |
| 1962 | 55.29 years | +4.7% |
| 1963 | 55.65 years | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 56.1 years | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 55.93 years | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 56.45 years | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 56.9 years | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 57.34 years | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 57.68 years | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 57.94 years | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 58.02 years | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 58.84 years | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 59.3 years | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 59.7 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 60.13 years | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 60.45 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 61.04 years | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 61.39 years | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 61.84 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 62.15 years | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 62.52 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 62.87 years | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 63.13 years | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 63.44 years | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 63.73 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 64.12 years | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 64.46 years | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 64.67 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 64.96 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 65.11 years | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 65.3 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 65.55 years | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 65.74 years | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 65.96 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 66.2 years | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 66.52 years | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 66.83 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 67.07 years | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 67.31 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 67.65 years | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 67.95 years | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 68.23 years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 68.52 years | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 68.77 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 69.11 years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 69.47 years | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 69.81 years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 70 years | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 70.38 years | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 70.68 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 70.97 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 71.26 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 71.53 years | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 71.78 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 71.97 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 72.19 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 72.37 years | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 72.64 years | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 72.87 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 72.18 years | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 71.22 years | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 72.97 years | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 73.33 years | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 73.48 years | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 55.51 years | 50.94 years | 57.68 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 59.87 years | 57.94 years | 61.84 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 63.6 years | 62.15 years | 64.96 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 66.16 years | 65.11 years | 67.31 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 68.99 years | 67.65 years | 70.38 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.83 years | 70.68 years | 72.87 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.64 years | 71.22 years | 73.48 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
- 18 Luxembourg 83.2 years compare
- 19 Norway 83.16 years compare
- 20 Faroe Islands 83.08 years compare
- 21 United Arab Emirates 83.07 years compare
- 22 Australia 83.05 years compare
- 23 Ireland 83.01 years compare
- 24 France 82.98 years compare
More health data for World
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,458 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.47 % 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 0.0381 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0401 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, annual growth rate -0.915 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in World?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in World was 73.48 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 73.48 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.94 years in 1960.
- How does World rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- World ranks 21st out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.