Life expectancy (Our World) in South Africa
South Africa: Life expectancy (Our World) was 66.14 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
66.14
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
201st
of 236 countries
All-time high
66.14
in 2023
All-time low
43.11
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 66.14 for life expectancy in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in South Africa peaked at 66.14 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43.11, in 1950.
That places South Africa 201st 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.11 | — |
| 1951 | 44.06 | +2.2% |
| 1952 | 45.05 | +2.2% |
| 1953 | 46.05 | +2.2% |
| 1954 | 47.12 | +2.3% |
| 1955 | 48.17 | +2.2% |
| 1956 | 49.21 | +2.2% |
| 1957 | 50.2 | +2.0% |
| 1958 | 51.15 | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 51.88 | +1.4% |
| 1960 | 52.58 | +1.3% |
| 1961 | 53.07 | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 53.57 | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 53.89 | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 54.21 | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 54.43 | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 54.73 | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 54.96 | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 55.19 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 55.44 | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 55.68 | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 56.02 | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 56.38 | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 56.72 | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 57.11 | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 57.59 | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 58 | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 58.48 | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 58.99 | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 59.47 | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 59.96 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 60.45 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 60.94 | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 61.39 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 61.84 | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 62.2 | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 62.42 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 62.69 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 62.9 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 63.02 | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 62.94 | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 62.98 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 62.84 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 62.62 | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 62.07 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 61.6 | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 61.08 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 60.54 | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 59.91 | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 59.19 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 58.37 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 57.16 | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 55.58 | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 54.25 | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 53.96 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 53.91 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 54.22 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 54.95 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 55.98 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 57.41 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 58.89 | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 60.6 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 61.74 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 62.39 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 63.18 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 64.05 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 64.75 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 65.42 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 65.73 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 66.07 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 65.15 | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 62.01 | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 65.45 | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 66.14 | +1.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 66.14 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.42, 89% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 66.14 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 | 47.6 | 43.11 | 51.88 | 10 |
| 1960s | 54.21 | 52.58 | 55.44 | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.44 | 55.68 | 59.47 | 10 |
| 1980s | 61.78 | 59.96 | 63.02 | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.58 | 59.19 | 62.98 | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.58 | 53.91 | 58.37 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.28 | 58.89 | 66.07 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.69 | 62.01 | 66.14 | 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 in South Africa?
- Life expectancy in South Africa was 66.14 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 66.14 in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.11 in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for life expectancy?
- South Africa ranks 201st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. 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. 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).