Womens life expectancy at birth in China
China: Womens life expectancy at birth was 80.93 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
80.93
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
75th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.13
in 2022
All-time low
34.86
in 1960
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Womens life expectancy at birth in China, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 80.93 for womens life expectancy at birth in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, womens life expectancy at birth in China peaked at 81.13 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 34.86, in 1960.
China ranks 75th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Womens life expectancy at birth in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.73 | — |
| 1951 | 46.4 | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 47.21 | +1.7% |
| 1953 | 47.65 | +0.9% |
| 1954 | 48.57 | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 49.23 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 49.79 | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 50.4 | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 50.93 | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 41.98 | -17.6% |
| 1960 | 34.86 | -17.0% |
| 1961 | 41.9 | +20.2% |
| 1962 | 53.19 | +27.0% |
| 1963 | 53.87 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 54.53 | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 55.22 | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 55.8 | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 56.5 | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 57.23 | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 57.99 | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 58.78 | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 59.6 | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 60.47 | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 61.48 | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 62.35 | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 63.11 | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 63.28 | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 64.67 | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 65.33 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 65.95 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 66.51 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 67.08 | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 67.57 | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 68.07 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 68.51 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 68.92 | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 69.32 | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 69.75 | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 70.12 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 70.42 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 70.56 | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 71.05 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 71.48 | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 72.01 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 72.41 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 73.02 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 73.48 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 73.89 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 74.24 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 74.54 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 74.89 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 75.29 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 75.66 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 76.02 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 76.37 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 76.77 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 77.1 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 77.44 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 77.5 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 78.03 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 78.33 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 78.65 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 78.98 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 79.22 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 79.51 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 79.78 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 80.05 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 80.27 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 80.57 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 80.75 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 81 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 80.91 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.13 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 80.93 | -0.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 80.93 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 77.75, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 80.93 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 75.84, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Womens life expectancy at birth in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +27.0% | 41.9 | 53.19 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.79 | 41.98 | 50.93 | 10 |
| 1960s | 52.11 | 34.86 | 57.99 | 10 |
| 1970s | 62.5 | 58.78 | 65.95 | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.63 | 66.51 | 70.42 | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.67 | 70.56 | 74.54 | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.51 | 74.89 | 78.03 | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.61 | 78.33 | 80.75 | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.99 | 80.91 | 81.13 | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 72 New Caledonia 81.29 compare
- 73 Falkland Islands 81.24 compare
- 74 Saudi Arabia 81.16 compare
- 76 Bosnia and Herzegovina 80.9 compare
- 77 Thailand 80.86 compare
- 78 Curacao 80.82 compare
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,642 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % 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 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % 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 0.0176 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is womens life expectancy at birth in China?
- Womens life expectancy at birth in China was 80.93 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest womens life expectancy at birth recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 81.13 in 2022.
- What is the lowest womens life expectancy at birth recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.86 in 1960.
- How does China rank for womens life expectancy at birth?
- China ranks 75th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is womens life expectancy at birth rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Womens life expectancy at birth. 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).