Monaco had the highest life expectancy among both men and women worldwide as of 2024. That year, life expectancy for men and women was 84 and 89 years, respectively. The East Asian countries and regions Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Macao followed. Many of the countries on the list are struggling with aging populations and a declining workforce as more people enter retirement age compared to people entering employment.

As of 2023, the countries with the highest life expectancy included Switzerland, Japan, and Spain. As of that time, a new-born child in Switzerland could expect to live an average of 84.2 years. Around the world, females consistently have a higher average life expectancy than males, with females in Europe expected to live an average of six years longer than males on this continent. Increases in life expectancy The overall average life expectancy in OECD countries increased by 11.3 years from 1970 to 2019. The countries that saw the largest increases included Turkey, India, and South Korea. The life expectancy at birth in Turkey increased an astonishing 24.4 years over this period. The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide as of 2022 were Chad, Lesotho, and Nigeria, where a newborn could be expected to live an average of 53 years. Life expectancy in the U.S. The life expectancy in the United States was 77.43 years as of 2022. Shockingly, the life expectancy in the United States has decreased in recent years, while it continues to increase in other similarly developed countries. The COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of suicide and drug overdose deaths from the opioid epidemic have been cited as reasons for this decrease.

As of 2022, the countries with the highest life expectancy included Liechtenstein, Japan, and Switzerland. In Japan, a person could expect to live up to around 84 years. In general, the life expectancy for females is higher than that of males, with lifestyle choices and genetics the two major determining factors of life expectancy. Life expectancy worldwide The overall life expectancy worldwide has increased since the development of modern medicine and technology. In 2011, the global life expectancy was 70.53 years. By 2019, it had increased to 72.79 years. However, the years 2020 and 2021 saw a decline in global life expectancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, not every country has seen a substantial increase in life expectancy. In Chad, for example, the life expectancy is only 53 years, almost 20 years shorter than the global average. In addition to Chad, the countries with the shortest life expectancy include Lesotho, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic. Life expectancy in the U.S. In the United States, life expectancy at birth is currently 77.43 years. Life expectancy in the U.S. generally increases every year, however, over the past decade, life expectancy has seen some surprising decreases. The major contributing factors to this drop have been the ongoing opioid epidemic, which claimed around 81,806 lives in 2022 alone, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide include the Chad, Lesotho, and Nigeria. As of 2022, people born in Chad could be expected to live only up to 53 years. This is almost 20 years shorter than the global life expectancy. Life expectancy The global life expectancy has gradually increased over the past couple decades, rising from 70.53 years in 2011 to 72.79 years in 2019. However, the years 2020 and 2021 saw a decrease in global life expectancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, life expectancy can vary greatly depending on the country and region. For example, all the top 20 countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide are in Africa. The countries with the highest life expectancy include Liechtenstein, Japan, and Switzerland. Causes of death The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide are all low-income or developing countries that lack health care access and treatment that more developed countries can provide. The leading causes of death in these countries therefore differ from those of middle-income and upper-income countries. The leading causes of death in low-income countries include diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, as well as preterm birth complications, which do not cause substantial death in higher income countries.

This statistic shows the top ten countries worldwide with longest average female life expectancy at birth in 2010 and 2030. South Korea had the longest average life expectancy for females in 2030 at 90.82 years.

Chart and table of India life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

Monaco is the country with the highest median age in the world. The population has a median age of around 56 years, which is around six years more than in Japan and Saint Pierre and Miquelon – the other countries that make up the top three. Southern European countries make up a large part of the top 20, with Italy, Slovenia, Greece, San Marino, Andorra, and Croatia all making the list. Low infant mortality means higher life expectancy Monaco and Japan also have the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, which contributes to the calculation of a higher life expectancy because fewer people are dying in the first years of life. Indeed, many of the nations with a high median age also feature on the list of countries with the highest average life expectancy, such as San Marino, Japan, Italy, and Lichtenstein. Demographics of islands and small countries Many smaller countries and island nations have populations with a high median age, such as Guernsey and the Isle of Man, which are both island territories within the British Isles. An explanation for this could be that younger people leave to seek work or education opportunities, while others choose to relocate there for retirement.

This statistic shows the countries and territories with the highest projected life expectancy between 2050 and 2055. Between 2050 and 2055, Hong Kong SAR is projected to have a life expectancy at birth of 89.22 years.

Chart and table of Pakistan life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

In 2023, the average life expectancy of the world was 70 years for men and 75 years for women. The lowest life expectancies were found in Africa, while Oceania and Europe had the highest.

What is life expectancy?

Life expectancy is defined as a statistical measure of how long a person may live, based on demographic factors such as gender, current age, and most importantly the year of their birth. The most commonly used measure of life expectancy is life expectancy at birth or at age zero. The calculation is based on the assumption that mortality rates at each age were to remain constant in the future.

Life expectancy has changed drastically over time, especially during the past 200 years. In the early 20th century, the average life expectancy at birth in the developed world stood at 31 years. It has grown to an average of 70 and 75 years for males and females respectively, and is expected to keep on growing with advances in medical treatment and living standard continuing.

Highest and lowest life expectancy worldwide

Life expectancy still varies greatly between different regions and countries of the world. The biggest impact on life expectancy is the quality of public health, medical care, and diet. As of 2021, the countries with the highest life expectancy were Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and South Korea, all at 84 years. Most of the countries with the lowest life expectancy are mostly African countries. The ranking was led by the Chad, Nigeria, and Lesotho with 53 years.

This report presents the latest figures on male and female health expectancy, at birth and at age 65, for the UK and its four constituent countries. While life expectancy (LE) provides an estimate of average expected life-span, healthy life expectancy (HLE) divides total LE into years spent in good or ‘not good’ health. Disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) divides LE into years lived with and without a chronic illness or disability. These figures are three-year averages. LE is taken from the UK national interim life tables published annually by ONS, and the measures of health and chronic illness from the General Household Survey (GHS) in Great Britain and the Continuous Household Survey (CHS) in Northern Ireland. Source agency: Office for National Statistics Designation: National Statistics Language: English Alternative title: National Health Expectancies

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by country and is filtered where the region is South America and the date is 2023. The data is about countries per year.

Chart and table of Kenya life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by date using the aggregation sum and is filtered where the country is Antigua and Barbuda. The data is about countries per year.

Men born in Chad have the lowest life expectancy in the world as of 2024, reaching only 53 years. The lowest life expectancy for women in the world in 2024 was for girls born in Nigeria, with only 55 years. Except for Afghanistan, all the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world are in Africa.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by currency using the aggregation sum and is filtered where the country is Trinidad and Tobago. The data is about countries per year.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by ISO 2 country code and is filtered where the country is Ireland and the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by country using the aggregation sum and is filtered where the country is Angola. The data is about countries per year.

This dataset provides values for RETIREMENT AGE MEN reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

This horizontal bar chart displays median age (year) by ISO 2 country code and is filtered where the country is Jordan. The data is about countries per year.