Life expectancy in China
China: Life expectancy was 77.95 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
77.95 years
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
76th
of 236 countries
All-time high
78.2 years
in 2022
All-time low
32 years
in 1930
Years of data
79
1930–2023
Life expectancy in China, 1930–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
China recorded 77.95 years for life expectancy in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in China peaked at 78.2 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 32 years, in 1930.
China ranks 76th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 79 years of available data.
Life expectancy in China, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 32 years | — |
| 1934 | 34 years | +6.2% |
| 1936 | 35 years | +2.9% |
| 1942 | 37 years | +5.7% |
| 1949 | 41 years | +10.8% |
| 1950 | 43.83 years | +6.9% |
| 1951 | 44.56 years | +1.7% |
| 1952 | 45.34 years | +1.8% |
| 1953 | 45.91 years | +1.3% |
| 1954 | 46.76 years | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 47.24 years | +1.0% |
| 1956 | 47.81 years | +1.2% |
| 1957 | 48.38 years | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 48.83 years | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 40.17 years | -17.7% |
| 1960 | 33.42 years | -16.8% |
| 1961 | 40.16 years | +20.2% |
| 1962 | 50.96 years | +26.9% |
| 1963 | 51.67 years | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 52.34 years | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 53 years | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 53.66 years | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 54.4 years | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 55.19 years | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 55.99 years | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 56.82 years | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 57.73 years | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 58.58 years | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 59.5 years | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 60.24 years | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 60.95 years | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 61.23 years | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 62.46 years | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 63.1 years | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 63.7 years | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 64.24 years | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 64.78 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 65.25 years | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 65.73 years | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 66.15 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 66.53 years | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 66.89 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 67.26 years | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 67.61 years | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 67.93 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 68.15 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 68.61 years | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 69.06 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 69.49 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 69.84 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 70.36 years | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 70.82 years | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 71.23 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 71.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 71.95 years | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 72.29 years | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 72.68 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 73.03 years | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 73.39 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 73.73 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 74.08 years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 74.4 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 74.79 years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 74.83 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 75.32 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 75.67 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 75.89 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 76.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 76.45 years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 76.71 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 76.98 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 77.21 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 77.24 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 77.71 years | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 77.94 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 78.02 years | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 78.12 years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 78.2 years | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 77.95 years | -0.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 77.95 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.42 years, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 77.95 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy 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 | +26.9% | 40.16 years | 50.96 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 33.67 years | 32 years | 35 years | 3 |
| 1940s | 39 years | 37 years | 41 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 45.88 years | 40.17 years | 48.83 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 50.08 years | 33.42 years | 55.99 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 60.43 years | 56.82 years | 63.7 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 66.24 years | 64.24 years | 67.93 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.11 years | 68.15 years | 71.95 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.85 years | 72.29 years | 75.32 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.8 years | 75.67 years | 77.94 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.07 years | 77.95 years | 78.2 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,029 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,642 deaths (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in China?
- Life expectancy in China was 77.95 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 32 years in 1930.
- How does China rank for life expectancy?
- China ranks 76th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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
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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.