Statizoid

Life expectancy at birth (years) by country

Countries reporting
184
Highest
84.46
Japan
Lowest
51.48
Lesotho
Median
72.29
Years covered
22
2000–2021
Data points
4,312

What the numbers show

Life expectancy at birth (years) is currently reported for 184 countries. The highest value is 84.46 in Japan; the lowest is 51.48 in Lesotho.

The median across all reporting countries is 72.29, and the mean is 71.29.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.

Over the past decade 113 countries rose and 71 fell. The largest increase was in Somalia (up 23.1%), and the largest decrease in Peru (down 8.9%).

Life expectancy at birth: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Japan 84.46 2021 up 2.0% flat
2 Singapore 83.86 2021 up 2.3% rising
3 South Korea 83.8 2021 up 3.5% rising
4 Switzerland 83.33 2021 up 1.2% flat
5 Australia 83.1 2021 up 1.4% flat
6 Norway 82.88 2021 up 2.4% rising
7 Luxembourg 82.78 2021 up 1.7% rising
8 Sweden 82.66 2021 up 1.4% flat
9 Spain 82.66 2021 up 1.0% flat
10 Iceland 82.58 2021 up 0.9% flat
11 New Zealand 82.2 2021 up 1.8% flat
12 Italy 82.2 2021 up 0.5% flat
13 France 81.92 2021 up 0.4% flat
14 Cyprus 81.91 2021 up 0.6% flat
15 Malta 81.81 2021 up 1.4% rising
16 Israel 81.74 2021 up 0.1% rising
17 Ireland 81.6 2021 up 1.5% rising
18 Canada 81.58 2021 up 0.2% flat
19 Finland 81.53 2021 up 1.6% rising
20 Belgium 81.51 2021 up 1.7% flat
21 Denmark 81.18 2021 up 1.9% rising
22 Portugal 81.18 2021 up 1.2% rising
23 Netherlands 81.12 2021 up 0.2% flat
24 Austria 80.99 2021 up 0.3% flat
25 Germany 80.49 2021 up 0.0% flat
26 Slovenia 80.42 2021 up 0.7% rising
27 United Kingdom 80.1 2021 down 0.7% flat
28 Puerto Rico 79.9 2021 up 1.7% rising
29 Greece 79.6 2021 down 0.9% flat
30 Chile 79.02 2021 down 0.7% flat
31 Kuwait 78.95 2021 down 3.1% flat
32 Costa Rica 78.63 2021 down 2.0% flat
33 United Arab Emirates 78.31 2021 down 2.4% flat
34 China 77.62 2021 up 3.4% rising
35 Panama 77.24 2021 down 0.4% flat
36 Sri Lanka 77.23 2021 up 3.0% rising
37 Estonia 77.13 2021 up 1.1% rising
38 Czechia 77.08 2021 down 0.9% flat
39 Brunei 76.92 2021 down 0.1% flat
40 Antigua and Barbuda 76.92 2021 up 1.7% flat
41 Croatia 76.86 2021 down 0.5% flat
42 Barbados 76.84 2021 up 1.1% flat
43 Qatar 76.71 2021 up 3.3% rising
44 Saudi Arabia 76.43 2021 up 0.4% rising
45 Albania 76.39 2021 down 0.3% flat
46 United States 76.37 2021 down 2.9% flat
47 Algeria 75.98 2021 up 0.7% flat
48 Jordan 75.65 2021 down 1.6% rising
49 Poland 75.4 2021 down 1.5% flat
50 Maldives 75.4 2021 up 0.4% rising
51 Thailand 75.29 2021 down 0.6% rising
52 Turkey 75.27 2021 down 1.9% flat
53 Nicaragua 75.03 2021 down 2.5% flat
54 Uruguay 74.98 2021 down 2.1% flat
55 Bhutan 74.88 2021 up 3.8% rising
56 Bosnia and Herzegovina 74.85 2021 down 2.9% flat
57 Iran 74.71 2021 down 2.8% flat
58 Montenegro 74.71 2021 down 1.7% flat
59 Argentina 74.57 2021 down 1.8% flat
60 Colombia 74.53 2021 down 2.8% rising
61 Slovakia 74.51 2021 down 1.9% rising
62 Hungary 74.4 2021 down 0.7% rising
63 Bahrain 74.38 2021 up 0.3% rising
64 Lebanon 74.34 2021 down 4.7% flat
65 Lithuania 74.13 2021 up 0.8% rising
66 Tunisia 74.07 2021 down 3.0% flat
67 Seychelles 74.01 2021 up 1.0% flat
68 Ecuador 73.96 2021 down 2.1% flat
69 Vietnam 73.8 2021 up 1.6% flat
70 Cuba 73.67 2021 down 6.2% flat
71 Palestine 73.49 2021 up 1.0% rising
72 Mauritius 73.42 2021 down 0.1% flat
73 Dominican Republic 73.32 2021 down 1.0% flat
74 Belize 73.32 2021 down 0.7% rising
75 Latvia 73.2 2021 down 0.6% rising
76 Cape Verde 73.16 2021 down 1.6% flat
77 Belarus 73.12 2021 up 3.6% rising
78 Bangladesh 73.1 2021 up 2.8% rising
79 North Macedonia 73 2021 down 2.6% flat
80 Armenia 72.98 2021 down 0.4% flat
81 Azerbaijan 72.91 2021 up 3.6% rising
82 Malaysia 72.81 2021 down 1.9% flat
83 Serbia 72.81 2021 down 2.3% flat
84 Grenada 72.77 2021 up 0.9% flat
85 Romania 72.76 2021 down 2.3% rising
86 Tonga 72.72 2021 up 0.7% flat
87 North Korea 72.64 2021 up 3.4% rising
88 Morocco 72.62 2021 up 0.1% flat
89 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 72.56 2021 down 0.9% flat
90 Oman 72.48 2021 down 1.0% flat
91 Syria 72.44 2021 up 0.8% falling
92 Brazil 72.39 2021 down 2.2% flat
93 Uzbekistan 72.19 2021 up 7.5% rising
94 Kyrgyzstan 72.19 2021 up 3.8% rising
95 Libya 72.18 2021 up 1.0% flat
96 Tajikistan 71.81 2021 up 2.0% rising
97 Trinidad and Tobago 71.71 2021 down 3.1% flat
98 Peru 71.67 2021 down 8.9% flat
99 El Salvador 71.67 2021 down 3.9% flat
100 Iraq 71.47 2021 up 0.1% flat
101 Bulgaria 71.31 2021 down 3.7% flat
102 Georgia 71.24 2021 down 1.0% flat
103 Venezuela 71.22 2021 down 4.5% flat
104 Sao Tome and Principe 71.18 2021 up 2.9% rising
105 Saint Lucia 71.11 2021 down 6.7% flat
106 Ukraine 70.91 2021 down 0.0% rising
107 Mexico 70.83 2021 down 6.1% flat
108 Bahamas 70.43 2021 down 3.2% flat
109 Kazakhstan 70.28 2021 up 1.7% rising
110 Samoa 70.27 2021 down 0.3% flat
111 Paraguay 70.27 2021 down 6.2% flat
112 Jamaica 70.14 2021 down 3.7% flat
113 Mongolia 70.1 2021 up 4.2% rising
114 Nepal 70.05 2021 up 0.6% rising
115 Russia 70.02 2021 up 0.4% rising
116 Moldova 69.56 2021 down 0.4% rising
117 Turkmenistan 69.12 2021 down 0.2% rising
118 Egypt 69.11 2021 down 1.4% flat
119 Honduras 68.96 2021 down 2.4% flat
120 Cambodia 68.92 2021 up 2.5% rising
121 Mauritania 68.87 2021 up 0.1% rising
122 Guatemala 68.7 2021 down 4.0% flat
123 Indonesia 68.26 2021 down 1.8% rising
124 Laos 68.23 2021 up 4.9% rising
125 East Timor 68 2021 up 1.1% rising
126 Myanmar 67.85 2021 up 4.0% rising
127 Ethiopia 67.84 2021 up 5.6% rising
128 Senegal 67.79 2021 up 2.8% rising
129 Sudan 67.59 2021 up 0.8% rising
130 Rwanda 67.54 2021 up 3.8% rising
131 Comoros 67.5 2021 up 2.6% rising
132 India 67.31 2021 down 0.8% rising
133 Tanzania 66.81 2021 up 7.3% rising
134 Kenya 66.76 2021 up 7.7% rising
135 Philippines 66.41 2021 down 4.8% flat
136 Vanuatu 66.35 2021 up 0.1% flat
137 Ghana 66.1 2021 up 5.6% rising
138 Guyana 66.08 2021 down 0.1% rising
139 Pakistan 65.99 2021 up 2.2% rising
140 Uganda 65.99 2021 up 8.4% rising
141 Yemen 65.76 2021 down 3.5% flat
142 Micronesia (country) 65.71 2021 up 1.2% flat
143 Fiji 65.5 2021 down 2.8% flat
144 Papua New Guinea 65.49 2021 up 0.7% rising
145 Bolivia 65.41 2021 down 7.5% rising
146 Gabon 65.09 2021 up 4.8% rising
147 Djibouti 64.87 2021 up 4.1% rising
148 Solomon Islands 64.79 2021 up 0.4% flat
149 Gambia 64.21 2021 up 2.2% rising
150 Benin 64.01 2021 up 4.0% rising
151 Burundi 64.01 2021 up 6.0% rising
152 Togo 63.86 2021 up 6.8% rising
153 Eritrea 63.57 2021 up 4.4% rising
154 Cote d'Ivoire 63.52 2021 up 10.4% rising
155 Liberia 63.46 2021 up 4.5% rising
156 Nigeria 63.4 2021 up 5.3% rising
157 Congo 63.17 2021 up 3.3% rising
158 Madagascar 62.93 2021 up 0.3% rising
159 Malawi 62.49 2021 up 7.5% rising
160 Haiti 62.46 2021 up 2.2% rising
161 Burkina Faso 62.3 2021 up 5.5% rising
162 Angola 62.13 2021 up 5.7% rising
163 Cameroon 61.77 2021 up 7.9% rising
164 Mali 61.67 2021 up 4.4% rising
165 Democratic Republic of Congo 61.63 2021 up 6.5% rising
166 Equatorial Guinea 61.61 2021 up 3.0% rising
167 South Africa 61.5 2021 up 4.1% rising
168 Guinea 61.26 2021 up 4.6% rising
169 Botswana 61.23 2021 up 4.8% rising
170 Sierra Leone 61.02 2021 up 9.6% rising
171 Zambia 60.97 2021 up 5.1% rising
172 Kiribati 60.87 2021 down 0.9% flat
173 Namibia 60.36 2021 down 0.9% rising
174 Niger 59.97 2021 up 2.3% rising
175 Afghanistan 59.13 2021 down 0.7% rising
176 Chad 59.09 2021 up 5.2% rising
177 Guinea-Bissau 58.63 2021 up 4.8% rising
178 South Sudan 58.57 2021 down 0.6% rising
179 Zimbabwe 58.48 2021 up 9.8% rising
180 Mozambique 57.66 2021 up 7.7% rising
181 Eswatini 54.59 2021 up 13.6% rising
182 Somalia 53.95 2021 up 23.1% rising
183 Central African Republic 52.31 2021 up 5.7% rising
184 Lesotho 51.48 2021 up 4.8% rising

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth (years)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
196 places, 4,312 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed