Life expectancy men women in South Africa
South Africa: Life expectancy men women was 69.6 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
69.6
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
196th
of 236 countries
All-time high
69.6
in 2023
All-time low
44.13
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy men women in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy men women in South Africa is 69.6, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy men women in South Africa peaked at 69.6 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 44.13, in 1950.
South Africa ranks 196th 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 men women in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 44.13 | — |
| 1951 | 45.15 | +2.3% |
| 1952 | 46.23 | +2.4% |
| 1953 | 47.35 | +2.4% |
| 1954 | 48.55 | +2.5% |
| 1955 | 49.7 | +2.4% |
| 1956 | 50.88 | +2.4% |
| 1957 | 52 | +2.2% |
| 1958 | 53.02 | +2.0% |
| 1959 | 53.83 | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 54.58 | +1.4% |
| 1961 | 55.22 | +1.2% |
| 1962 | 55.68 | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 56.05 | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 56.36 | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 56.6 | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 56.92 | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 57.2 | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 57.48 | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 57.77 | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 58.08 | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 58.42 | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 58.73 | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 59.05 | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 59.44 | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 59.89 | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 60.41 | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 61.02 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 61.56 | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 62.12 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 62.73 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 63.26 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 63.83 | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 64.36 | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 64.92 | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 65.47 | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 65.89 | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 66.21 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 66.63 | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 66.83 | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 66.89 | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 66.97 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 66.81 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 66.5 | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 65.99 | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 65.16 | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 64.46 | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 63.66 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 62.9 | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 62.05 | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 61.08 | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 59.49 | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 57.7 | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 56.27 | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 55.75 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 55.47 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 55.93 | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 56.89 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 58.15 | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 59.69 | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 61.24 | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 63.14 | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 64.43 | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 65.24 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 66.18 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 67.03 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 67.92 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 68.58 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 68.91 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 69.22 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 67.95 | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 64.77 | -4.7% |
| 2022 | 69.04 | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 69.6 | +0.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 69.6 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 77.75, 90% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 69.6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 66.75, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 49.08 | 44.13 | 53.83 | 10 |
| 1960s | 56.39 | 54.58 | 57.77 | 10 |
| 1970s | 59.87 | 58.08 | 62.12 | 10 |
| 1980s | 65.01 | 62.73 | 66.83 | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.14 | 62.05 | 66.97 | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.64 | 55.47 | 61.08 | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.19 | 61.24 | 69.22 | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.84 | 64.77 | 69.6 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % 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 0.046 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy men women in South Africa?
- Life expectancy men women in South Africa was 69.6 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy men women recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 69.6 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy men women recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.13 in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for life expectancy men women?
- South Africa ranks 196th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy men women rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. 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 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).