Life Expectancy at birth of the world's populations, based on the latest United Nations Population Division estimates.
Countries ranked by life expectancy (2025):
|
Rank |
Country |
Life Expectancy both sexes |
Females Life Expectancy |
Males Life Expectancy |
|
1 |
85.77 |
88.39 |
83.1 |
|
|
2 |
85 |
88.03 |
81.99 |
|
|
3 |
84.53 |
87.4 |
81.44 |
|
|
| ||||
|
5 |
84.23 |
86.06 |
82.34 |
|
|
6 |
84.21 |
85.97 |
82.43 |
|
|
7 |
84.03 |
86.01 |
81.94 |
|
|
8 |
84 |
86.48 |
81.53 |
|
|
9 |
83.96 |
86.59 |
81.27 |
|
|
| ||||
|
11 |
83.63 |
85.51 |
81.69 |
|
|
12 |
83.61 |
85.09 |
82.11 |
|
|
13 |
83.58 |
86.31 |
80.73 |
|
|
14 |
83.58 |
85.34 |
81.84 |
|
|
15 |
83.42 |
85.49 |
81.26 |
|
|
16 |
83.23 |
84.44 |
82.37 |
|
|
17 |
83.15 |
84.57 |
81.8 |
|
|
| ||||
|
19 |
82.88 |
85.03 |
80.74 |
|
|
20 |
82.77 |
84.81 |
80.67 |
|
|
21 |
82.75 |
84.72 |
80.79 |
|
|
22 |
82.72 |
85.37 |
79.89 |
|
|
23 |
82.68 |
83.6 |
81.96 |
|
|
24 |
82.49 |
84.06 |
80.91 |
|
|
25 |
82.45 |
83.98 |
80.89 |
|
|
26 |
82.43 |
84.57 |
80.26 |
|
|
| ||||
|
28 |
82.39 |
84 |
80.77 |
|
|
29 |
82.29 |
84.57 |
79.97 |
|
|
30 |
82.25 |
84.1 |
80.39 |
|
|
31 |
82.24 |
84.91 |
79.6 |
|
|
32 |
82.22 |
84.6 |
79.74 |
|
|
33 |
82.08 |
85.5 |
78.5 |
|
|
34 |
81.99 |
83.93 |
80.05 |
|
|
35 |
81.94 |
84.58 |
79.33 |
|
|
36 |
81.71 |
84.01 |
79.42 |
|
|
37 |
81.6 |
83.45 |
79.72 |
|
|
38 |
81.58 |
82.26 |
81.03 |
|
|
39 |
81.54 |
83.37 |
79.67 |
|
|
| ||||
|
41 |
81.19 |
83.72 |
78.6 |
|
|
42 |
80.94 |
83.88 |
78.09 |
|
|
43 |
80.78 |
82.15 |
79.63 |
|
|
44 |
80.45 |
82.21 |
78.95 |
|
| 45 | Czechia |
80.11 |
82.85 |
77.35 |
|
46 |
79.96 |
82.84 |
77.1 |
|
|
47 |
79.95 |
81.74 |
78.12 |
|
|
48 |
79.61 |
82.11 |
77.22 |
|
|
49 |
79.48 |
83.3 |
75.35 |
|
|
50 |
79.19 |
81.51 |
77.56 |
|
|
51 |
79.07 |
81.53 |
76.63 |
|
|
52 |
78.98 |
82.61 |
75.31 |
|
|
53 |
78.92 |
81.95 |
75.8 |
|
|
54 |
78.65 |
81.84 |
75.41 |
|
|
55 |
78.45 |
82.17 |
74.59 |
|
|
56 |
78.45 |
80.84 |
76.06 |
|
|
57 |
78.37 |
81.25 |
75.65 |
|
|
58 |
78.24 |
81.23 |
74.88 |
|
|
59 |
78.13 |
80.46 |
76.06 |
|
|
60 |
78.12 |
80.45 |
75.82 |
|
|
61 |
78.09 |
80.77 |
75.36 |
|
|
62 |
78.08 |
79.99 |
76.02 |
|
|
63 |
78.05 |
79.99 |
76.22 |
|
|
64 |
77.94 |
80.6 |
74.93 |
|
|
65 |
77.85 |
80.9 |
74.65 |
|
|
66 |
77.82 |
80.82 |
74.94 |
|
|
67 |
77.76 |
80.46 |
75.08 |
|
|
68 |
77.69 |
80.16 |
75.14 |
|
|
69 |
77.68 |
79.83 |
75.41 |
|
|
70 |
77.63 |
81.74 |
73.89 |
|
|
71 |
77.43 |
80.6 |
74.12 |
|
|
72 |
77.37 |
80.3 |
74.52 |
|
|
73 |
77.33 |
80.46 |
74.07 |
|
|
74 |
77.17 |
81.1 |
72.87 |
|
|
75 |
77.14 |
80.35 |
73.89 |
|
|
76 |
76.99 |
79.67 |
74.63 |
|
|
77 |
76.9 |
79.5 |
74.34 |
|
|
78 |
76.83 |
81.17 |
72.65 |
|
|
79 |
76.69 |
78.13 |
75.3 |
|
|
80 |
76.64 |
79.06 |
73.99 |
|
|
81 |
76.49 |
78.91 |
73.93 |
|
|
82 |
76.48 |
80.72 |
71.94 |
|
|
85 |
76.32 |
80.92 |
71.61 |
|
|
86 |
76.25 |
79.82 |
72.74 |
|
|
87 |
76.2 |
79.3 |
73.14 |
|
|
88 |
76.01 |
79.73 |
71.76 |
|
|
89 |
75.96 |
79.51 |
72.52 |
|
|
90 |
75.92 |
81.6 |
70.95 |
|
|
91 |
75.68 |
77.96 |
73.54 |
|
|
92 |
75.67 |
77.9 |
73.65 |
|
|
93 |
75.52 |
78.64 |
72.67 |
|
|
94 |
75.45 |
78.17 |
72.63 |
|
|
95 |
75.27 |
78.5 |
72.28 |
|
|
96 |
75.27 |
77.74 |
72.64 |
|
|
97 |
75.19 |
76.94 |
73.55 |
|
|
98 |
74.88 |
79.49 |
70.23 |
|
|
99 |
74.86 |
79.54 |
69.99 |
|
|
100 |
74.86 |
78.46 |
71.21 |
|
|
101 |
74.82 |
79.36 |
69.93 |
|
|
102 |
74.79 |
79.37 |
69.94 |
|
|
| ||||
|
104 |
74.67 |
78.65 |
70.43 |
|
|
105 |
74.11 |
77.22 |
71.14 |
|
|
106 |
73.99 |
77.23 |
70.79 |
|
|
| ||||
|
109 |
73.86 |
76.02 |
71.66 |
|
|
| ||||
|
112 |
73.52 |
79.32 |
67.69 |
|
|
115 |
73.19 |
75.26 |
71.23 |
|
|
| ||||
|
117 |
73.1 |
76.86 |
69.72 |
|
|
118 | India | 72.48 | 74.13 | 70.95 |
|
119 |
72.99 |
75.42 |
70.58 |
|
|
120 |
72.89 |
75.21 |
70.57 |
|
|
121 |
72.84 |
76.82 |
69.05 |
|
|
122 |
72.66 |
75.7 |
69.68 |
|
|
123 |
72.53 |
74.33 |
70.59 |
|
|
|
Our World In Data explains a problem. The term "life expectancy" refers to the number of years a person can expect to live. By definition, life expectancy is based on an estimate of the average age that members of a particular population group will be when they die. In practice, however, things are often more complicated.
An important distinction is the difference between cohort and period life expectancy. The cohort life expectancy is the average life length of a particular group of individuals born in a given year. When we can track a group of people born in a particular year, many decades ago, and observe the exact date in which each one of them died, we can calculate this cohort's life expectancy by simply calculating the average of the ages of all members when they died.
You can think of period life expectancy in a particular year as the age a person born in that year would expect to live if the average age of death did not change over their lifetime. It is of course not possible to know this metric before all members of the cohort have died. Imagine that every over-65 year old in USA died in the 3 years of Covid, the average age of the U.S population would have gone down marginally by 2024; new-born babies born in 2024 would not have been impacted by the epidemic. Imagine, however if every 18-25 year old male died in the Ukrainian War, the country's average age would have fallen severely. And since women live longer on average than men in every country, killing mainly men in war would make the gender difference even more in favour of (lonely) women.
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22 comments:
Dear Hels, that's very interesting! In my profession I had to do a lot with statistics - thus I take them with a grain of salt. Yet it is very interesting that Hongkong is the paradise for longevity - Japan I expected, with their way of life and philosophy.
I take a look at my family - all became very old - and hope that this is a private statistic with value for me :-)
Perhaps from top to bottom is equal to smoking rates?
The stand out is the country that spends the most on health care, has such a poor relative outcome on the list, number 48 if anyone is wondering. How can so much money be spent with such a poor outcome? Even the UK and NZ are disappointing.
The average life expectancy at birth for Nigeria and Chad c55.2 years. This is understably low due to long histories of health issues related to conflict, poverty or war. But does the life expectancy of an otherwise healthy country change because of an unexpected brutal war?
Bom dia minha querida amiga Helen. Vi que a expectativa de vida do Brasil, ocupa a 87° posição. Eu conheço, uma senhora, que no mês de junho, fará 100 anos. Tive um tio, que chegou a 104 anos. Parabéns pelo seu maravilhoso trabalho de pesquisa. Grande abraço do seu amigo brasileiro.
I'm sure the United States is in there. But I didn't see it. But with Trump and his cutting back funding it will have an effect on American dying quicker. Like Dickens in his novel “Are there no prisons? … And the Union workhouses? … If they would rather die… they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” and “I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned—they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.”
1. Hong Kong - the place with the highest life expectancy at 84.3 years. 7 mill people live in this densely populated region, where Western and Eastern cultures collide. Severe air pollution poses health risks but the safety net = government-operated hospitals.
2. Japan This Pacific island nation is home to skyscrapers, pop culture, bullet trains, imperial palaces, mountainous parks and dense cities. With a huge population of 127 mill people, the E Asia nation still ranks #2 on the list. Their longevity is in their food eg fish
3. Italy has been embracing music, food, architecture for years on this peninsula in the Mediterranean. 60.6 mill people live in Italy where healthcare is considered a right. Italy ranked among the World Health Organisation’s top countries for quality health services.
4. Spain The Spanish opt for a daily siesta. 46.5+ people call Spain home and they are known for enjoying food, music and bullfights.
5. Switzerland Home to ski resorts, watches and Alps, the residents live to c83 years. 99.5% of Swiss citizens have health insurance.
6. Iceland Known for its drastic geography and unpredictable weather, Iceland makes #6 re highest life expectancy. This Nordic island nation has volcanoes, geysers, lava field, hot springs. While the country is mostly rural land, 335,000 live on the island.
7. France The answer to their longevity is likely rooted in the French health care system, which all residents are entitled to. 67 mill people call this European country home, living to 82 years old.
8. Singapore This island off Sth Malaysia has 5.6 mill residents creating a mix of cultures from Malaysia, China, Indonesia, India
9. Sweden has thousands of coastal islands, including the capital Stockholm, built on 14 islands. Swedish culture is calm and humble
10. Australia The world’s largest island is known for outdoor living. Located SE of Indonesia and best known for the Great Barrier Reef, 24+ million people live here.
My maternal Grandmother in Germany made it to 96, though her last years were in a nursing home and I hope to also make it to 96 or more. Most other ancestors died in their 80s.
Britta, genetics seem to be a very good predictor of long life, one that I also hope works for you. But United Nations Population Division estimates are best based on country and gender because they are two perfectly objective measurements.
Andrew, when I examined nyrequirements, the countries that spend the most on public health care seem to do the best for their citizens, at least collectively speaking.
Assuming the results are accurate, the comparisons between Hong Kong (85.8), Japan, Canada and New Zealand are less telling than the comparisons between Hong Kong, Japan, Nigeria and Chad (48.5)
Deb, it is a problem of both national honesty and statistical accuracy.
Would the United Nations Population Division know if a nation suffered a major earthquake and never retrieved 2000 young bodies? Would they be told that South America officially lost only 1,344,000 deaths from Covid; that a shortage of testing and medical facilities probably hid a _much_ larger number of Covid deaths
Luiz, would you agree that Brazil's decentralised, universal, public health system is funded equally for _all_ citizens? Or do contributions from federal, state and municipal governments not reach all parts of the nation equally? Do people in underserviced areas suffer more from mosquito-borne or heat-attributable diseases?
peppylady, the USA was recorded in position #48.
If the U.S health system is having its preventive funding being cut back, it will have a major impact on public health. This will be especially true for children who don't properly receive their diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and polio vaccinations.
If funding for clinical medicine is cut back, the crisis is more visable and critical - hospitals full, ambulance ramping worsening, death rates increasing.
River, in 1900 global average life expectancy was 32 (see graph above). And by 2023 their great grand children's average life expectancy had risen to 73. So if your past ancestors mainly died in their 80s, they were doing better than the rest of the world. Well done, your granny!
nyrequirements, thank you....your top 10 nations were very similar to the United Nations Population Division when it comes to life expectancy.
But the U.N did not propose reasons for their findings. Certainly it makes sense to suggest that French longevity is likely rooted in the universal French health care system. But the connection between the Spanish practice of a daily siesta and a long life may or may not be established.
Here in the USA there's a substantial difference in life expectancy between "red" (politically conservative) and "blue" (politically left-leaning") areas. The "red" areas mostly have higher rates of smoking and violent crime, a more meat-heavy diet, and above all higher rates of vaccine rejection, all tending toward a lower life expectancy. So the "blue" areas are actually doing better than the chart would suggest, since the national figures are an average.
Infidel, the higher rates of smoking, guns and vaccine rejection in some states or countries without a doubt reduce life expectancy. But unless guns are banned or vaccines are enforced by law, how would a national Health Department know what happened to a person many years ago.
Gun death rates were at 5 per 100,000 in 1980, 2.7 per 100,000 by 1995 and after the 1996 Australia gun ban, 0.9 per 100,000 by 2019. Were those changes reflected in the nation's average life expectancy? Probably not.
Just to compare, the U.S. recorded 44,447 gun deaths in 2022, resulting in a rate of 13.1 per 100,000 people.
Ranking number 6 isn't too bad I knew Japan would be in the top 3
Jo-Anne
Me too :)
Acho que as regiões mais carentes, como na Região Nordeste e na Região Norte, não recebem a mesma assistência, que as Regiões Sudeste, Sul e Centro-Oeste do Brasil. O SUS, Sistema Único de Saúde é excelente. Foi desprestigiado, pelo Jair Bolsonaro, considero ele, um tipo de anti-Cristo. Muitas pessoas morreram de covid, por culpa dele e do Ministro da Saúde da época.
Luiz
that is appalling :( I think that catastrophe may have happened in other countries as well.
Very interesting . I work in the Australia health system and it seems to me that the countries who do the best are those that avoid chronic lifestyle diseases like Type 2 diabetes and this might explain Hong Kong and then those countries that do have higher rates of chronic disease managing them in the community with a subsidized monitoring, education and an emphasis on self management are doing better than those that spend a fortune on technology for the wealthy and then leave the poorer to their own devises and often unable to afford consistent medication ad quality nutrition . A lot of health achievement can be had with low tech encouragement to eat better, exercise and get vaccinated . This can be nudged along by government policy and education .
Anonymous,
you are so clear, I don't understand why it isn't obvious to the entire world!
Mind you, I would not say _subsidised_ monitoring, costly vaccinations and GP visits; it all must be totally free and mandatory for families.
That leaves government policy and education to concentrate on dietary education, exercise, swimming lessons and free milk in schools.
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