Life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Life expectancy at birth was 58.48 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
58.48
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
179th
of 184 countries
All-time high
59.4
in 2020
All-time low
45.01
in 2003
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 58.48 for life expectancy at birth in 2021.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe peaked at 59.4 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 45.01, in 2003.
That places Zimbabwe 179th out of 184 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 45.75 | — |
| 2001 | 45.43 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 45.11 | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 45.01 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 45.15 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 45.71 | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 46.41 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 47.35 | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 48.33 | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 49.66 | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 51.42 | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 53.28 | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 54.9 | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 56.08 | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 56.96 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 57.49 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 57.92 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 58.24 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 58.7 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 59.07 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 59.4 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 58.48 | -1.6% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 58.48 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 66.81, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 58.48 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.05, 93% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.39 | 45.01 | 49.66 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.41 | 51.42 | 59.07 | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.94 | 58.48 | 59.4 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 176 Chad 59.09 compare
- 177 Guinea-Bissau 58.63 compare
- 178 South Sudan 58.57 compare
- 180 Mozambique 57.66 compare
- 181 Eswatini 54.59 compare
- 182 Somalia 53.95 compare
More health data for Zimbabwe
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 874.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,457 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9632 % 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 0.0689 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9673 % 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 in Zimbabwe?
- Life expectancy at birth in Zimbabwe was 58.48 in 2021, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 59.4 in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.01 in 2003.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Zimbabwe ranks 179th out of 184 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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).