Survival to age 65, female in South Africa
South Africa: Survival to age 65, female was 67.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
67.7%
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
195th
of 218 countries
All-time high
69.1%
in 2023
All-time low
43.8%
in 2005
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Survival to age 65, female in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 67.7% for survival to age 65, female in 2024.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, survival to age 65, female in South Africa peaked at 69.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43.8%, in 2005.
That places South Africa 195th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Survival to age 65, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 49.4% | — |
| 1961 | 50.4% | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 51.1% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 51.7% | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 52.2% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 52.5% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 53.0% | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 53.5% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 53.9% | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 54.3% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 54.7% | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 55.2% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 55.6% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 56.0% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 56.6% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 57.3% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 58.0% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 59.0% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 59.8% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 60.6% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 61.5% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 62.3% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 63.1% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 63.9% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 64.7% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 65.5% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 66.1% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 66.5% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 67.2% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 67.4% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 67.3% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 67.3% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 66.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 66.1% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 64.9% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 63.1% | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 61.7% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 59.9% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 58.3% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 56.5% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 54.9% | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 52.0% | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 48.7% | -6.3% |
| 2003 | 46.1% | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 44.6% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 43.8% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 44.2% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 45.7% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 47.6% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 50.1% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 52.8% | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 55.8% | +5.6% |
| 2012 | 58.5% | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 60.2% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 61.9% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 63.1% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 64.3% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 65.4% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 66.2% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 67.1% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 64.2% | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 58.4% | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 67.8% | +16.0% |
| 2023 | 69.1% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 67.7% | -2.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 67.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 84.9%, 80% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 67.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 68.2%, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52.2% | 49.4% | 54.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.3% | 54.7% | 60.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.8% | 61.5% | 67.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.2% | 56.5% | 67.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.8% | 43.8% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.5% | 52.8% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.4% | 58.4% | 69.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 192 Cameroon 68.3% compare
- 193 Guinea-Bissau 68.3% compare
- 194 Congo 68.2% compare
- 196 Equatorial Guinea 67.1% compare
- 197 Madagascar 67.1% compare
- 198 Burundi 66.7% 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is survival to age 65, female in South Africa?
- Survival to age 65, female in South Africa was 67.7% in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest survival to age 65, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 69.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest survival to age 65, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.8% in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for survival to age 65, female?
- South Africa ranks 195th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is survival to age 65, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Survival to age 65, female (% of cohort). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Survival to age 65 refers to the percentage of a cohort of newborn infants that would survive to age 65, if subject to age specific mortality rates of the specified year.