Life expectancy at different ages in South Africa
South Africa: Life expectancy at different ages was 66.14 in 2023. β² Rising
Life expectancy at different ages in South Africa, 1950β2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy at different ages in South Africa stood at 66.14. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at different ages in South Africa peaked at 66.14 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43.11, in 1950.
That places South Africa 194th out of 229 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.6 | 43.11 | 51.88 | 10 |
| 1960s | 54.21 | 52.58 | 55.44 | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.44 | 55.68 | 59.47 | 10 |
| 1980s | 61.78 | 59.96 | 63.02 | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.58 | 59.19 | 62.98 | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.58 | 53.91 | 58.37 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.28 | 58.89 | 66.07 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.69 | 62.01 | 66.14 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,152 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (2100)
- Population, male, annual growth rate 1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, male, per capita 0.4866 units per person (2025)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by country 0 (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 541,701 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at different ages in South Africa?
- Life expectancy at different ages in South Africa was 66.14 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at different ages recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 66.14 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at different ages recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.11 in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for life expectancy at different ages?
- South Africa ranks 194th out of 229 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at different ages rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at different ages. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).