Life expectancy hmd unwpp in South Africa

South Africa: Life expectancy hmd unwpp was 66.14 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
66.14
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
194th
of 229 countries
All-time high
66.14
in 2023
All-time low
43.11
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Life expectancy hmd unwpp in South Africa, 1950–2023

0204060195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 66.14 for life expectancy hmd unwpp in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy hmd unwpp in South Africa peaked at 66.14 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43.11, in 1950.

South Africa ranks 194th of 229 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Life expectancy hmd unwpp in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Life expectancy hmd unwpp in South Africa, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 43.11
1951 44.06 +2.2%
1952 45.05 +2.2%
1953 46.05 +2.2%
1954 47.12 +2.3%
1955 48.17 +2.2%
1956 49.21 +2.2%
1957 50.2 +2.0%
1958 51.15 +1.9%
1959 51.88 +1.4%
1960 52.58 +1.3%
1961 53.07 +0.9%
1962 53.57 +0.9%
1963 53.89 +0.6%
1964 54.21 +0.6%
1965 54.43 +0.4%
1966 54.73 +0.6%
1967 54.96 +0.4%
1968 55.19 +0.4%
1969 55.44 +0.5%
1970 55.68 +0.4%
1971 56.02 +0.6%
1972 56.38 +0.6%
1973 56.72 +0.6%
1974 57.11 +0.7%
1975 57.59 +0.8%
1976 58 +0.7%
1977 58.48 +0.8%
1978 58.99 +0.9%
1979 59.47 +0.8%
1980 59.96 +0.8%
1981 60.45 +0.8%
1982 60.94 +0.8%
1983 61.39 +0.7%
1984 61.84 +0.7%
1985 62.2 +0.6%
1986 62.42 +0.4%
1987 62.69 +0.4%
1988 62.9 +0.3%
1989 63.02 +0.2%
1990 62.94 -0.1%
1991 62.98 +0.1%
1992 62.84 -0.2%
1993 62.62 -0.4%
1994 62.07 -0.9%
1995 61.6 -0.8%
1996 61.08 -0.9%
1997 60.54 -0.9%
1998 59.91 -1.0%
1999 59.19 -1.2%
2000 58.37 -1.4%
2001 57.16 -2.1%
2002 55.58 -2.8%
2003 54.25 -2.4%
2004 53.96 -0.5%
2005 53.91 -0.1%
2006 54.22 +0.6%
2007 54.95 +1.3%
2008 55.98 +1.9%
2009 57.41 +2.6%
2010 58.89 +2.6%
2011 60.6 +2.9%
2012 61.74 +1.9%
2013 62.39 +1.1%
2014 63.18 +1.3%
2015 64.05 +1.4%
2016 64.75 +1.1%
2017 65.42 +1.0%
2018 65.73 +0.5%
2019 66.07 +0.5%
2020 65.15 -1.4%
2021 62.01 -4.8%
2022 65.45 +5.6%
2023 66.14 +1.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 191 Kiribati 66.47 compare
  2. 192 Zambia 66.35 compare
  3. 193 Sudan 66.33 compare
  4. 195 Papua New Guinea 66.13 compare
  5. 196 Afghanistan 66.03 compare
  6. 197 Djibouti 65.99 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy hmd unwpp in South Africa?
Life expectancy hmd unwpp in South Africa was 66.14 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectancy hmd unwpp recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 66.14 in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy hmd unwpp recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 43.11 in 1950.
How does South Africa rank for life expectancy hmd unwpp?
South Africa ranks 194th out of 229 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy hmd unwpp 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 hmd unwpp. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy hmd unwpp in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-hmd-unwpp/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy hmd unwpp
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 18,722 data points, 1751–2023
Last refreshed