Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 64.04 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
64.04 years
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
221st
of 236 countries
All-time high
64.04 years
in 2023
All-time low
39.27 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 64.04 years for life expectancy at birth, by sex in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 64.04 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 39.27 years, in 1950.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 221st out of 236 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.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 39.27 years | — |
| 1951 | 39.61 years | +0.9% |
| 1952 | 39.91 years | +0.8% |
| 1953 | 40.21 years | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 40.47 years | +0.6% |
| 1955 | 40.78 years | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 41.03 years | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 41.32 years | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 41.56 years | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 41.74 years | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 41.94 years | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 41.64 years | -0.7% |
| 1962 | 41.83 years | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 42.04 years | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 41.91 years | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 42.43 years | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 43.26 years | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 43.52 years | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 43.78 years | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 44.07 years | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 44.46 years | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 44.72 years | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 44.97 years | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 45.21 years | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 45.41 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 45.61 years | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 45.73 years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 45.86 years | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 45.77 years | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 46.22 years | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 46.42 years | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 46.58 years | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 46.83 years | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 47.08 years | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 47.37 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 47.46 years | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 47.83 years | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 48.22 years | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 48.69 years | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 49.19 years | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 49.69 years | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 50.19 years | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 50.7 years | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 51.25 years | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 51.5 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 52.13 years | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 51.69 years | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 52.61 years | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 53 years | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 53.41 years | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 53.84 years | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 54.13 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 54.35 years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 54.76 years | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 55.17 years | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 55.63 years | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 56.08 years | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 56.48 years | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 56.93 years | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 57.45 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 57.99 years | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 58.49 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 59.03 years | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 59.5 years | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 59.94 years | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 60.4 years | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 60.86 years | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 61.31 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 61.82 years | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 62.15 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 62.53 years | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 62.14 years | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 63.12 years | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 64.04 years | +1.5% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 64.04 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 66.36 years, 96% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 64.04 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 66.75 years, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 40.59 years | 39.27 years | 41.74 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 42.64 years | 41.64 years | 44.07 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 45.4 years | 44.46 years | 46.22 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 47.57 years | 46.42 years | 49.19 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.62 years | 49.69 years | 53.41 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.48 years | 53.84 years | 57.45 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.15 years | 57.99 years | 62.15 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.96 years | 62.14 years | 64.04 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 218 Madagascar 65.38 years compare
- 219 Zimbabwe 65.01 years compare
- 220 Cote d'Ivoire 64.13 years compare
- 222 Nauru 64 years compare
- 223 Sierra Leone 63.5 years compare
- 224 Liberia 63.44 years compare
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 821.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 133,650 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Democratic Republic of Congo was 64.04 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 64.04 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.27 years in 1950.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 221st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.