Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Congo
Congo: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 67.46 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
67.46 years
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
209th
of 236 countries
All-time high
67.46 years
in 2023
All-time low
40.83 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Congo, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Congo recorded 67.46 years for life expectancy at birth, by sex in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Congo peaked at 67.46 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 40.83 years, in 1950.
Congo ranks 209th of 236 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 at birth, by sex in Congo, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 40.83 years | — |
| 1951 | 41.58 years | +1.9% |
| 1952 | 42.34 years | +1.8% |
| 1953 | 43.16 years | +1.9% |
| 1954 | 43.92 years | +1.8% |
| 1955 | 44.78 years | +1.9% |
| 1956 | 45.66 years | +2.0% |
| 1957 | 46.52 years | +1.9% |
| 1958 | 47.38 years | +1.8% |
| 1959 | 48.21 years | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 49.07 years | +1.8% |
| 1961 | 49.84 years | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 50.53 years | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 51.23 years | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 51.91 years | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 52.56 years | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 53.14 years | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 53.49 years | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 54.25 years | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 54.78 years | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 55.23 years | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 55.67 years | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 56.09 years | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 56.49 years | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 56.81 years | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 57.17 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 57.48 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 57.83 years | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 58.04 years | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 58.42 years | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 58.74 years | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 59.06 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 59.21 years | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 59.36 years | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 59.38 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 59.3 years | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 59.18 years | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 58.99 years | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 58.73 years | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 58.35 years | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 58.04 years | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 57.65 years | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 57.26 years | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 56.78 years | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 56.44 years | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 56.1 years | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 55.86 years | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 53.82 years | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 54.58 years | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 55.36 years | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 55.95 years | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 56.44 years | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 57.05 years | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 57.71 years | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 58.53 years | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 59.38 years | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 60.19 years | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 60.93 years | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 61.8 years | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 62.35 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 62.87 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 63.61 years | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 63.98 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 64.4 years | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 64.77 years | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 65.13 years | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 65.41 years | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 65.71 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 66.02 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 64.63 years | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 66.16 years | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 65.75 years | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 66.63 years | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 67.46 years | +1.2% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 67.46 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 70.48 years, 96% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 67.46 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 66.75 years, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.44 years | 40.83 years | 48.21 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 52.08 years | 49.07 years | 54.78 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.92 years | 55.23 years | 58.42 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 59.03 years | 58.35 years | 59.38 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.19 years | 53.82 years | 58.04 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.03 years | 55.95 years | 62.35 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.65 years | 62.87 years | 66.02 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.5 years | 65.75 years | 67.46 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More health data for Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.4813 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9705 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 759.5 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,688 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 11 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.44 % 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 0.0695 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.45 % 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 at birth, by sex in Congo?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Congo was 67.46 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 67.46 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.83 years in 1950.
- How does Congo rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Congo ranks 209th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.