Life expectancy (Our World) in Congo
Congo: Life expectancy (Our World) was 65.77 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
65.77
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
206th
of 236 countries
All-time high
65.77
in 2023
All-time low
39.6
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy in Congo, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy in Congo is 65.77, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Congo peaked at 65.77 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 39.6, in 1950.
That places Congo 206th 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 (Our World) in Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 39.6 | — |
| 1951 | 40.34 | +1.9% |
| 1952 | 41.09 | +1.8% |
| 1953 | 41.85 | +1.9% |
| 1954 | 42.61 | +1.8% |
| 1955 | 43.45 | +2.0% |
| 1956 | 44.28 | +1.9% |
| 1957 | 45.13 | +1.9% |
| 1958 | 45.97 | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 46.78 | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 47.59 | +1.7% |
| 1961 | 48.35 | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 49.04 | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 49.73 | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 50.36 | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 51 | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 51.56 | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 51.91 | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 52.62 | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 53.11 | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 53.55 | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 53.98 | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 54.36 | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 54.74 | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 55.05 | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 55.4 | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 55.7 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 56.03 | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 56.25 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 56.52 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 56.8 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 57.06 | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 57.24 | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 57.43 | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 57.54 | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 57.61 | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 57.63 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 57.59 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 57.49 | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 57.29 | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 57.07 | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 56.76 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 56.48 | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 56.04 | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 55.64 | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 55.47 | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 55.24 | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 48.57 | -12.1% |
| 1998 | 52.55 | +8.2% |
| 1999 | 54.43 | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 55.37 | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 55.88 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 56.41 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 57.13 | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 57.96 | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 58.73 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 59.47 | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 60.05 | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 60.79 | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 61.21 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 61.73 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 62.29 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 62.66 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 62.97 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 63.35 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 63.66 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 63.91 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 64.2 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 64.47 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 63.15 | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 64.39 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 64.19 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 65 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 65.77 | +1.2% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 65.77 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65, 97% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 65.77 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 43.11 | 39.6 | 46.78 | 10 |
| 1960s | 50.53 | 47.59 | 53.11 | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.16 | 53.55 | 56.52 | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.37 | 56.8 | 57.63 | 10 |
| 1990s | 54.83 | 48.57 | 57.07 | 10 |
| 2000s | 58.3 | 55.37 | 61.21 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.24 | 61.73 | 64.47 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.84 | 64.19 | 65.77 | 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 2,688 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0709 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Congo?
- Life expectancy in Congo was 65.77 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 65.77 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.6 in 1950.
- How does Congo rank for life expectancy?
- Congo ranks 206th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. 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).