Remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females in South Africa
South Africa: Remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females was 8.04 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
8.04 years
Change on year
down 5.4%
World rank
119th
of 236 countries
All-time high
9.27 years
in 2019
All-time low
5.09 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females in South Africa stood at 8.04 years.
That represents a change of down 5.4% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females in South Africa peaked at 9.27 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 5.09 years, in 1950.
That places South Africa 119th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females in South Africa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.09 years | — |
| 1951 | 5.16 years | +1.3% |
| 1952 | 5.23 years | +1.5% |
| 1953 | 5.32 years | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 5.41 years | +1.8% |
| 1955 | 5.5 years | +1.6% |
| 1956 | 5.58 years | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 5.66 years | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 5.74 years | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 5.79 years | +0.9% |
| 1960 | 5.85 years | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 5.92 years | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 5.96 years | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 5.99 years | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 6.03 years | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 6.05 years | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 6.09 years | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 6.12 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 6.15 years | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 6.18 years | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 6.2 years | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 6.24 years | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 6.25 years | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 6.27 years | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 6.29 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 6.33 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 6.39 years | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 6.46 years | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 6.51 years | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 6.58 years | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 6.63 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 6.67 years | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 6.72 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 6.76 years | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 6.83 years | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 6.9 years | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 6.94 years | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 6.96 years | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 7.02 years | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 7.04 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 7.04 years | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 7.05 years | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 7.02 years | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 6.97 years | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 6.89 years | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 6.75 years | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 7.13 years | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 7.23 years | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 7.34 years | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 7.42 years | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 7.72 years | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 7.59 years | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 7.64 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 7.58 years | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 7.89 years | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 7.73 years | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 7.68 years | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 7.71 years | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 7.95 years | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 7.87 years | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 8.05 years | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 7.84 years | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 8.07 years | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 7.79 years | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 7.87 years | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 8.49 years | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 8.86 years | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 9.07 years | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 9.2 years | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 9.27 years | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 8.39 years | -9.5% |
| 2021 | 7.04 years | -16.1% |
| 2022 | 8.49 years | +20.7% |
| 2023 | 8.04 years | -5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.45 years | 5.09 years | 5.79 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.03 years | 5.85 years | 6.18 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.35 years | 6.2 years | 6.58 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.85 years | 6.63 years | 7.04 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.08 years | 6.75 years | 7.42 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.74 years | 7.58 years | 7.95 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.45 years | 7.79 years | 9.27 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.99 years | 7.04 years | 8.49 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 116 Sri Lanka 8.16 years compare
- 117 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 8.14 years compare
- 118 Paraguay 8.07 years compare
- 120 Kuwait 7.95 years compare
- 121 Palestine, State of 7.9 years compare
- 122 British Virgin Islands 7.8 years compare
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)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0371 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 4.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.0295 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females in South Africa?
- Remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females in South Africa was 8.04 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.27 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.09 years in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females?
- South Africa ranks 119th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Remaining life expectancy at different ages, in females. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Remaining period life expectancy at age 80 among females, in a given year.