Life expectancy in India
India: Life expectancy was 72 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
72 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
152nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
72 years
in 2023
All-time low
23.15 years
in 1911
Years of data
85
1881–2023
Life expectancy in India, 1881–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy in India is 72 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 85 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in India peaked at 72 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 23.15 years, in 1911.
India ranks 152nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 85 years of available data.
Life expectancy in India, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1881 | 25.44 years | — |
| 1891 | 24.27 years | -4.6% |
| 1901 | 23.49 years | -3.2% |
| 1905 | 23.98 years | +2.1% |
| 1911 | 23.15 years | -3.5% |
| 1915 | 24.02 years | +3.8% |
| 1921 | 24.86 years | +3.5% |
| 1925 | 27.61 years | +11.1% |
| 1931 | 29.31 years | +6.2% |
| 1935 | 30.95 years | +5.6% |
| 1941 | 32.59 years | +5.3% |
| 1950 | 41.18 years | +26.4% |
| 1951 | 41.6 years | +1.0% |
| 1952 | 42.09 years | +1.2% |
| 1953 | 42.39 years | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 43.25 years | +2.0% |
| 1955 | 43.74 years | +1.1% |
| 1956 | 44.13 years | +0.9% |
| 1957 | 44.41 years | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 44.78 years | +0.8% |
| 1959 | 45.26 years | +1.1% |
| 1960 | 45.61 years | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 45.82 years | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 46.13 years | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 46.46 years | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 46.74 years | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 45.56 years | -2.5% |
| 1966 | 45.88 years | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 46.18 years | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 47.92 years | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 48.26 years | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 48.59 years | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 48.9 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 49.21 years | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 49.64 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 50.26 years | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 50.76 years | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 51.3 years | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 51.82 years | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 52.42 years | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 53.01 years | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 53.59 years | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 54.17 years | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 54.74 years | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 55.28 years | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 55.81 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 56.32 years | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 56.82 years | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 57.29 years | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 57.74 years | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 58.2 years | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 58.62 years | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 59.03 years | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 59.45 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 59.82 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 60.24 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 60.63 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 61.03 years | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 61.44 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 61.85 years | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 62.28 years | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 62.75 years | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 63.16 years | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 63.65 years | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 64.09 years | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 64.48 years | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 64.94 years | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 65.37 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 65.8 years | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 66.25 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 66.7 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 67.16 years | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 67.62 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 68.08 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 68.5 years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 68.93 years | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 69.33 years | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 69.71 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 70.07 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 70.42 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 70.75 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 70.16 years | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 67.28 years | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 71.7 years | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 72 years | +0.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 72 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 72 years is below the median for South Asia, which is 73.82 years, 98% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy in India changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | +26.4% | 32.59 years | 41.18 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 25.44 years | 25.44 years | 25.44 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 24.27 years | 24.27 years | 24.27 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 23.73 years | 23.49 years | 23.98 years | 2 |
| 1910s | 23.58 years | 23.15 years | 24.02 years | 2 |
| 1920s | 26.23 years | 24.86 years | 27.61 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 30.13 years | 29.31 years | 30.95 years | 2 |
| 1940s | 32.59 years | 32.59 years | 32.59 years | 1 |
| 1950s | 43.28 years | 41.18 years | 45.26 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 46.46 years | 45.56 years | 48.26 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 50.59 years | 48.59 years | 53.01 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 56 years | 53.59 years | 58.2 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.44 years | 58.62 years | 62.28 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.72 years | 62.75 years | 66.7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.06 years | 67.16 years | 70.75 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.28 years | 67.28 years | 72 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
- 149 Saint Kitts and Nevis 72.14 years compare
- 150 Syria 72.12 years compare
- 151 El Salvador 72.1 years compare
- 153 Tajikistan 71.79 years compare
- 154 Mongolia 71.73 years compare
- 155 Samoa 71.7 years compare
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,332 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 44,822 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % 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 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % 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 in India?
- Life expectancy in India was 72 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 72 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.15 years in 1911.
- How does India rank for life expectancy?
- India ranks 152nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 85 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.