Life expectancy (Our World) in Eritrea
Eritrea: Life expectancy (Our World) was 68.62 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy in Eritrea, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy in Eritrea stood at 68.62. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Eritrea peaked at 68.62 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 30.4, in 1957.
Eritrea ranks 180th 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 (Our World) in Eritrea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 33.29 | — |
| 1951 | 33.64 | +1.0% |
| 1952 | 34 | +1.1% |
| 1953 | 34.38 | +1.1% |
| 1954 | 34.8 | +1.2% |
| 1955 | 35.18 | +1.1% |
| 1956 | 35.63 | +1.3% |
| 1957 | 30.4 | -14.7% |
| 1958 | 30.91 | +1.7% |
| 1959 | 36.97 | +19.6% |
| 1960 | 37.44 | +1.3% |
| 1961 | 37.91 | +1.3% |
| 1962 | 38.35 | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 38.83 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 39.18 | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 39.58 | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 37.63 | -4.9% |
| 1967 | 40.15 | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 40.48 | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 40.79 | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 41.16 | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 41.53 | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 40.72 | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 41.13 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 39 | -5.2% |
| 1975 | 39.03 | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 42.59 | +9.1% |
| 1977 | 42.98 | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 43.38 | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 43.78 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 44.63 | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 44.97 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 44.89 | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 37.17 | -17.2% |
| 1984 | 37.68 | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 38.59 | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 39.54 | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 47.36 | +19.8% |
| 1988 | 48.09 | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 47.8 | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 49.73 | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 50.52 | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 52.44 | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 53.19 | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 54.03 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 54.82 | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 55.5 | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 56.16 | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 50 | -11.0% |
| 1999 | 44.51 | -11.0% |
| 2000 | 56.29 | +26.5% |
| 2001 | 58.36 | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 58.94 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 59.46 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 60.06 | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 60.63 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 61.46 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 62 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 62.42 | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 63.2 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 63.67 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 64.23 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 64.7 | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 65 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 65.52 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 65.91 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 66.24 | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 66.61 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 66.98 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 67.31 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 66.98 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 66.94 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 67.79 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 68.62 | +1.2% |
Eritrea compared with similar countries
- Eritrea's 68.62 is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.65, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Eritrea's 68.62 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy (Our World) in Eritrea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +26.5% | 44.51 | 56.29 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 33.92 | 30.4 | 36.97 | 10 |
| 1960s | 39.04 | 37.44 | 40.79 | 10 |
| 1970s | 41.53 | 39 | 43.78 | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.07 | 37.17 | 48.09 | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.09 | 44.51 | 56.16 | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.28 | 56.29 | 63.2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.62 | 63.67 | 67.31 | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.58 | 66.94 | 68.62 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eritrea
More health data for Eritrea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.2 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 425 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0652 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2011)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0668 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Eritrea?
- Life expectancy in Eritrea was 68.62 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Eritrea?
- The highest recorded value was 68.62 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Eritrea?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.4 in 1957.
- How does Eritrea rank for life expectancy?
- Eritrea ranks 180th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Eritrea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eritrea 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).