Life expectancy men women in China
China: Life expectancy men women was 80.93 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
80.93
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
75th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.13
in 2022
All-time low
34.86
in 1960
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy men women in China, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy men women in China stood at 80.93.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy men women in China peaked at 81.13 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 34.86, in 1960.
That places China 75th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy men women in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.73 | — |
| 1951 | 46.4 | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 47.21 | +1.7% |
| 1953 | 47.65 | +0.9% |
| 1954 | 48.57 | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 49.23 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 49.79 | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 50.4 | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 50.93 | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 41.98 | -17.6% |
| 1960 | 34.86 | -17.0% |
| 1961 | 41.9 | +20.2% |
| 1962 | 53.19 | +27.0% |
| 1963 | 53.87 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 54.53 | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 55.22 | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 55.8 | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 56.5 | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 57.23 | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 57.99 | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 58.78 | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 59.6 | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 60.47 | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 61.48 | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 62.35 | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 63.11 | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 63.28 | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 64.67 | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 65.33 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 65.95 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 66.51 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 67.08 | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 67.57 | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 68.07 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 68.51 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 68.92 | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 69.32 | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 69.75 | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 70.12 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 70.42 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 70.56 | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 71.05 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 71.48 | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 72.01 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 72.41 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 73.02 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 73.48 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 73.89 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 74.24 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 74.54 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 74.89 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 75.29 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 75.66 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 76.02 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 76.37 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 76.77 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 77.1 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 77.44 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 77.5 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 78.03 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 78.33 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 78.65 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 78.98 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 79.22 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 79.51 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 79.78 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 80.05 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 80.27 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 80.57 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 80.75 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 81 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 80.91 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.13 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 80.93 | -0.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 80.93 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 77.75, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 80.93 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 75.84, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy men women in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +27.0% | 41.9 | 53.19 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.79 | 41.98 | 50.93 | 10 |
| 1960s | 52.11 | 34.86 | 57.99 | 10 |
| 1970s | 62.5 | 58.78 | 65.95 | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.63 | 66.51 | 70.42 | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.67 | 70.56 | 74.54 | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.51 | 74.89 | 78.03 | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.61 | 78.33 | 80.75 | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.99 | 80.91 | 81.13 | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 72 New Caledonia 81.29 compare
- 73 Falkland Islands 81.24 compare
- 74 Saudi Arabia 81.16 compare
- 76 Bosnia and Herzegovina 80.9 compare
- 77 Thailand 80.86 compare
- 78 Curacao 80.82 compare
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,642 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % 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 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0176 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy men women in China?
- Life expectancy men women in China was 80.93 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy men women recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 81.13 in 2022.
- What is the lowest life expectancy men women recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.86 in 1960.
- How does China rank for life expectancy men women?
- China ranks 75th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy men women rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy men women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).