Male life expectancy at birth in South Africa
South Africa: Male life expectancy at birth was 62.61 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
62.61 years
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
207th
of 236 countries
All-time high
62.7 years
in 2019
All-time low
42.18 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Male life expectancy at birth in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, male life expectancy at birth in South Africa stood at 62.61 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, male life expectancy at birth in South Africa peaked at 62.7 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 42.18 years, in 1950.
That places South Africa 207th 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.
Male life expectancy at birth in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 42.18 years | — |
| 1951 | 43.07 years | +2.1% |
| 1952 | 43.98 years | +2.1% |
| 1953 | 44.89 years | +2.1% |
| 1954 | 45.84 years | +2.1% |
| 1955 | 46.82 years | +2.1% |
| 1956 | 47.74 years | +2.0% |
| 1957 | 48.61 years | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 49.51 years | +1.8% |
| 1959 | 50.17 years | +1.4% |
| 1960 | 50.82 years | +1.3% |
| 1961 | 51.19 years | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 51.71 years | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 51.99 years | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 52.31 years | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 52.49 years | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 52.76 years | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 52.93 years | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 53.12 years | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 53.32 years | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 53.5 years | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 53.82 years | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 54.22 years | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 54.58 years | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 54.97 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 55.48 years | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 55.79 years | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 56.16 years | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 56.64 years | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 57.06 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 57.45 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 57.89 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 58.31 years | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 58.69 years | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 59.03 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 59.23 years | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 59.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 59.54 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 59.6 years | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 59.65 years | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 59.48 years | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 59.49 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 59.37 years | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 59.11 years | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 58.8 years | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 58.28 years | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 57.78 years | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 57.22 years | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 56.72 years | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 56.11 years | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 55.41 years | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 54.58 years | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 53.22 years | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 51.99 years | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 51.91 years | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 52.09 years | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 52.23 years | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 52.72 years | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 53.51 years | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 54.82 years | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 56.2 years | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 57.73 years | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 58.71 years | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 59.23 years | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 59.91 years | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 60.8 years | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 61.33 years | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 61.98 years | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 62.3 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 62.7 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 62.17 years | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 59.19 years | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 61.81 years | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 62.61 years | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.28 years | 42.18 years | 50.17 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 52.26 years | 50.82 years | 53.32 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.22 years | 53.5 years | 57.06 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.87 years | 57.45 years | 59.65 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.23 years | 56.11 years | 59.49 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.25 years | 51.91 years | 55.41 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.09 years | 56.2 years | 62.7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.45 years | 59.19 years | 62.61 years | 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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 22 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 314 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,778 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is male life expectancy at birth in South Africa?
- Male life expectancy at birth in South Africa was 62.61 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest male life expectancy at birth recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 62.7 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest male life expectancy at birth recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.18 years in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for male life expectancy at birth?
- South Africa ranks 207th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is male life expectancy at birth rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Male life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.