In Asia, the highest levels of life expectancy were found in East Asia, reaching 76 years for men and 82 years for women. The lowest levels were found in South Asia.

What is life expectancy

Life expectancy is, in the statistical sense, the number of years to be lived. It is the most common measure to describe population health. The life expectancy is an average and a person may die several years before or several years after their expected survival.

Economic circumstances also affect life expectancy. Life expectancy in the wealthiest countries is higher than in the poorest areas. With a life expectancy of 84 years, Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and South Korea lead the ranking of the 20 countries with the highest life expectancy as of 2021. The countries with the lowest life expectancy in 2021 were Chad, Nigeria, and Lesotho.

Gender and life expectancy

The gender differences in life expectancy are significant. Women tend to live several years longer than men. The average life expectancy worldwide of those born in 2023 shows that women had an average life expectancy of 75 years at birth, while men were expected to live 70 years.

The average for 2022 based on 47 countries was 77.29 years. The highest value was in Macao: 87.98 years and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 66.21 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

As of 2023, life expectancy at birth in the Maldives was approximately 81.1 years. In comparison, life expectancy at birth in Afghanistan was approximately 64.2 years in 2023.

Singapore had the highest life expectancy at birth of all the Southeast Asian countries in 2023, with its citizens expected to live to an average of 84.3 years. Falling behind by almost 20 years was Myanmar, with a life expectancy of 67.5 years old at birth as of 2023. Interestingly, Singapore made the top ten of countries with the highest average life expectancy worldwide. Increasing life expectancyLife expectancy throughout the Southeast Asian region has been rising throughout recent years, likely due to improved healthcare systems. Improvements brought about by increasing healthcare expenditures. The East Asian region also joined Southeast Asia in displaying higher life expectancies at birth, with Hong Kong and Macao all exhibiting life expectancies at birth of over 85 years old. Improved healthcare Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore are just some of the Southeast Asian governments which have released successful universal healthcare plans. As the region faces an aging population, there has been more demand for effective healthcare. Healthcare has been improving not just in the Southeast Asian region but throughout the whole Asia Pacific region, with many countries exhibiting near perfect child immunization rates, offering its citizens better healthcare from birth. With these improvements made, it does not seem surprising that life expectancy at birth has increased.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for South Asia (SPDYNLE00INSAS) from 1960 to 2023 about South Asia, life expectancy, life, and birth.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific (SPDYNLE00INEAP) from 1960 to 2023 about East Asia, Pacific, life expectancy, life, and birth.

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in South Asia was reported at 71.6 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - Life expectancy at birth, total (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

In 2024, the average female life expectancy at birth in the Maldives was 82.3 years. Comparatively, the average life expectancy for women at birth in Afghanistan was 68.2 years in 2024.

South Asia life expectancy for 2023 was 71.60, a 0.42% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>South Asia life expectancy for 2022 was <strong>71.30</strong>, a <strong>5.77% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>South Asia life expectancy for 2021 was <strong>67.41</strong>, a <strong>3.15% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>South Asia life expectancy for 2020 was <strong>69.60</strong>, a <strong>1.01% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.

The average for 2022 based on 11 countries was 72.94 years. The highest value was in Singapore: 82.9 years and the lowest value was in Burma (Myanmar): 67.26 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, the average life expectancy for males at birth in the Maldives was 80.5 years. Comparatively, the average life expectancy for males at birth in Pakistan was 65.2 years in 2024.

East Asia & Pacific life expectancy for 2023 was 76.66, a 0.02% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>East Asia & Pacific life expectancy for 2022 was <strong>76.68</strong>, a <strong>0.69% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>East Asia & Pacific life expectancy for 2021 was <strong>76.15</strong>, a <strong>0.51% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>East Asia & Pacific life expectancy for 2020 was <strong>76.54</strong>, a <strong>0.06% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total: All Income Levels for Europe and Central Asia (SPDYNLE00INECS) from 1960 to 2023 about Central Asia, life expectancy, life, birth, Europe, and income.

Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in South Asia was reported at 69.97 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - Life expectancy at birth, male (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

The average for 2022 based on 11 countries was 70.32 years. The highest value was in Singapore: 80.7 years and the lowest value was in Burma (Myanmar): 64.18 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

By 2050, women aged 65 in China would have a further life expectancy of 21 years. Comparatively, men of the same age in China would have a further life expectancy of 18.6 years in 2050. Further life expectancy for women was estimated to be longer than for men by 2050 in all selected Asian countries.

Life expectancy at birth, female (years) in South Asia was reported at 73.34 years in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - Life expectancy at birth, female (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

In 2024, the average life expectancy at birth for women in Singapore was 86.5 years. Comparatively, the female life expectancy at birth was 70.9 years in Myanmar. That year, the life expectancy for men in Southeast Asia was also highest in Singapore.

This horizontal bar chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) by countries using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

This dataset is about countries in Eastern Asia. It has 5 rows. It features 3 columns: currency, and life expectancy at birth.