Life expectancy at birth in Africa (WHO region)
Africa (WHO region): Life expectancy at birth was 63.55 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
63.55
Change on year
down 0.6%
Rank
11th
of 11 groups
All-time high
64.17
in 2019
All-time low
52.98
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Life expectancy at birth in Africa (WHO region), 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in Africa (WHO region) is 63.55, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Africa (WHO region) peaked at 64.17 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 52.98, in 2000.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth in Africa (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 52.98 | — |
| 2001 | 53.47 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 53.84 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 54.27 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 54.89 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 55.64 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 56.44 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 57.29 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 58.09 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 58.84 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 59.57 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 60.26 | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 60.93 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 61.52 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 61.97 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 62.45 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 62.92 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 63.36 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 63.78 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 64.17 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 63.96 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 63.55 | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 55.58 | 52.98 | 58.84 | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.09 | 59.57 | 64.17 | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.76 | 63.55 | 63.96 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Africa (WHO region)
More health data for Africa (WHO region)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,261 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 179,400 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,578 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, annual growth rate -8.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 23.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases 179,400 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases 20,261 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases 20,578 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases 12,202 (2025)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases 1,654 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in Africa (WHO region)?
- Life expectancy at birth in Africa (WHO region) was 63.55 in 2021, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 64.17 in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.98 in 2000.
- How does Africa (WHO region) rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Africa (WHO region) ranks 11th out of 11 groups with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Africa (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa (WHO region) data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Life expectancy at birth (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).