As of 2023, the countries with the highest life expectancy included Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Japan. In Japan, a person could expect to live up to around ** 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 **** years. By 2023, it had increased to **** 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 Nigeria, for example, the life expectancy is only ** years, almost ***years shorter than the global average. In addition to Nigeria, the countries with the shortest life expectancy include Chad, Lesotho, and the Central African Republic. Life expectancy in the U.S. In the United States, life expectancy at birth is currently ***** 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 ****** lives in 2022 alone, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monaco had the highest life expectancy among both men and women worldwide as of 2024. That year, life expectancy for men and women was ** and ** 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.

The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide include the Nigeria, Chad, and Lesotho. As of 2023, people born in Nigeria could be expected to live only up to ** years. This is almost ** years shorter than the global life expectancy. Life expectancy The global life expectancy has gradually increased over the past couple decades, rising from **** years in 2011 to **** years in 2023. 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, Switzerland, and Japan. 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.

The average for 2022 based on 192 countries was 74.94 years. The highest value was in Macao: 87.98 years and the lowest value was in Nigeria: 53.97 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Life Expectancy of the World Population

The dataset from Worldometer provides a ranked list of countries based on life expectancy at birth, which represents the average number of years a newborn is expected to live under current mortality rates. It includes global, regional, and country-specific life expectancy figures, with separate data for males and females. The dataset highlights disparities in longevity across nations, with countries like Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea having the highest life expectancies. This data serves as a key indicator of public health, quality of life, and healthcare effectiveness, offering valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and global health organizations.

Data Analysis & Machine Learning Approaches for Life Expectancy Data

Data Analysis Approaches Life expectancy data can be analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, variance, distribution) and correlation analysis to identify relationships with factors like GDP, healthcare, and education. Time series analysis helps track longevity trends over time, while clustering techniques (e.g., K-Means) group countries with similar patterns. Additionally, geospatial analysis can visualize regional disparities in life expectancy.

Machine Learning Models For prediction, linear and multiple regression models estimate life expectancy based on socioeconomic indicators, while polynomial regression captures non-linear trends. Decision trees and Random Forests classify countries into high- and low-life expectancy groups. Deep learning techniques like neural networks (ANNs) can model complex relationships, while LSTMs are useful for time-series forecasting.

For pattern detection, K-Means clustering groups countries based on life expectancy trends, and DBSCAN identifies anomalies. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) helps in feature selection, improving model efficiency. These methods provide insights into longevity trends, helping policymakers and researchers improve public health strategies.

Life expectancy at birth. Data based on the latest United Nations Population Division estimates.

Source: https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/#countries-ranked-by-life-expectancy

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 **** years. Around the world, females consistently have a higher average life expectancy than males, with females in Europe expected to live an average of *** years longer than males on this continent. Increases in life expectancy The overall average life expectancy in OECD countries increased by **** 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 ** years. Life expectancy in the U.S. The life expectancy in the United States was ***** years as of 2023. 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.

The average for 2023 based on 47 countries was 75.46 years. The highest value was in Hong Kong: 85.25 years and the lowest value was in Palestine: 65.17 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2023 based on 7 countries was 81.78 years. The highest value was in Japan: 84.04 years and the lowest value was in the USA: 78.39 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Countries where people live for a long time, as a rule, provide their citizens with high-quality medical care and help them lead a healthy lifestyle. On the contrary, in countries with low life expectancy, there are usually economic difficulties, poverty and lack of access to health services.

In 2024, the average life expectancy in the world was 71 years for men and 76 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 standards 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 2022, the countries with the highest life expectancy were Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Australia, all at 84–83 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 53–54 years.

Tunisia had the highest projected life expectancy at birth in Africa as of 2025. A newborn infant was expected to live about 77 years in the country. Algeria, Cabo Verde, Morocco, and Mauritius followed, with a life expectancy between 77 and 75 years. On the other hand, Nigeria registered the lowest average, at 54.8 years. Overall, the life expectancy in Africa was just over 64 years in the same year.

Context

Life expectancy at birth is a key metric reflecting the average number of years a person can expect to live from birth, considering current mortality rates. Across the globe, life expectancy varies widely due to factors such as healthcare access, socio-economic conditions, and lifestyle choices. Developed nations often boast higher life expectancies, typically ranging from 75 to 85 years, owing to advanced healthcare systems and improved living standards. In contrast, developing nations often face shorter life expectancies, frequently falling below 70 years, largely due to inadequate healthcare infrastructure and prevailing socio-economic challenges. These disparities underscore the critical importance of global efforts to enhance healthcare access and address socio-economic inequalities.

Content

This dataset comprises historical information encompassing various indicators concerning Life Expectancy at Birth on a global scale. The dataset prominently features: ISO3, Country, Continent, Hemisphere, Human Development Groups, UNDP Developing Regions, HDI Rank (2021), and Life Expectancy at Birth from 1990 to 2021.

Dataset Glossary (Column-wise)

• ISO3 - ISO3 for the Country/Territory
• Country - Name of the Country/Territory
• Continent - Name of the Continent
• Hemisphere - Name of the Hemisphere
• Human Development Groups - Human Development Groups
• UNDP Developing Regions - UNDP Developing Regions
• HDI Rank (2021) - Human Development Index Rank for 2021
• Life Expectancy at Birth from 1990 - 2021 - Life Expectancy at Birth from year 1990 to 2021 (32 Columns.)

Data Dictionary

• UNDP Developing Regions:
  • SSA - Sub-Saharan Africa
  • LAC - Latin America and the Caribbean
  • EAP - East Asia and the Pacific
  • AS - Arab States
  • ECA - Europe and Central Asia
  • SA - South Asia

Structure of the Dataset

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Acknowledgement

This Dataset is created from Human Development Reports. This Dataset falls under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO License. You can check the Terms of Use of this Data. If you want to learn more, visit the Website.

Cover Photo by: Image by Freepik

Thumbnail by: Image by Quality of life icons created by Paul J. - Flaticon

The average for 2022 based on 47 countries was 71.89 years. The highest value was in Macao: 82.75 years and the lowest value was in Afghanistan: 59.77 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Japan stands out as one of the countries with the highest population longevity, from a global perspective 🌏, having the highest estimated life expectancy at birth of 84.26 years. The longevity of Japanese women is notable, ranking first worldwide with a life expectancy of 86.94 years, while Japanese men rank second with 81.49 years (World Health Organization, 2020). Japan's high life expectancy can be attributed to various factors. Technological progress, especially in the medical field, along with the country's accelerated economic development, in recent decades, have inevitably led to an increase in the average life expectancy of the population.

The dataset contains information about life expectancy and economic&social variables for Japan's prefectures as of 2020. - Life expectancy data source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan - Independent variables data source: Japanese Government Statistics - Geospatial prefecture data: GitHub

This statistic shows a ranking of 20 countries with the lowest life expectancy for people born in 2009. People who were born in Angola in 2009, at that moment had a life expectancy of 47.6 years.

The average for 2022 based on 53 countries was 61.21 years. The highest value was in Algeria: 75.85 years and the lowest value was in Lesotho: 50.32 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2023 based on 20 countries was 75.43 years. The highest value was in Puerto Rico: 81.69 years and the lowest value was in Haiti: 64.94 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Introduction

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. It is a key metric for assessing population health.

Life expectancy has burgeoned since the advent of industrialization in the early 1900s and the world average has now more than doubled to 70 years. Yet, we still see inequality in life expectancy across and within countries. The study by Acemoglu and Johnson demonstrated the relationship between increased life expectancy and improvement in economic growth (GDP per capita), controlling for country-fixed effects [3]. In the table below, we have shown how life expectancy varies between high-income and low-income countries. However, further analysis is necessary to determine how the allocation of a country’s wealth through certain investments in healthcare, education, environmental management, and some socioeconomic factors have an overall effect in determining average life expectancy.

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The Sub-Saharan African region experiences the lowest life expectancy at birth compared to other regions over the past 3 decades. SSA countries have consistently ranked as the lowest-earning countries in terms of GDP per capita. Therefore, there is a huge scope for improvement in life expectancy in SSA countries and hence our research focuses on the 40 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries with the lowest GDP per capita

Research Questions

After reviewing the rich existing literature on Life Expectancy, we realized the lack of concrete research on understanding the impact of all-encompassing determinants that cover socio-economic and environmental factors for SSA countries using Panel Data techniques. Hence, we tried to address this inadequacy through our research. In this paper, we aim to have a better understanding of factors affecting life expectancy in the SSA region for an efficient policy-making process and better allocation of funds and resources in addressing the prevalence of low life expectancy in Sub-Saharan Africa. To achieve that we attempt to answer the following questions in this research:

1. What’s the Impact of Expenditure on Health and Education (% of GDP) on Life Expectancy?
2. How does the prevalence of undernourishment and communicable disease Affect Life Expectancy?
3. Do factors like corruption and unemployment rate impact life expectancy? If yes, quantify
4. Increase in CO2 emissions decrease life expectancy? Is it significant?

Data

Main sources of data - World Bank Open Data & Our World in Data

1. Country - 174 countries - list

2. Country Code - 3-letter code

3. Region - region of the world country is located in

4. IncomeGroup - country's income class

5. Year - 2000-2019 (both included)

6. Life expectancy - data

7. Prevalence of Undernourishment (% of the population) - Prevalence of undernourishment is the percentage of the population whose habitual food consumption is insufficient to provide the dietary energy levels that are required to maintain a normally active and healthy life

8. Carbon dioxide emissions (kiloton) - Carbon dioxide emissions are those stemming from the burning of fossil fuels and the manufacture of cement. They include carbon dioxide produced during the consumption of solid, liquid, and gas fuels and gas flaring

9. Health Expenditure (% of GDP) - Level of current health expenditure expressed as a percentage of GDP. Estimates of current health expenditures include healthcare goods and services consumed during each year. This indicator does not include capital health expenditures such as buildings, machinery, IT, and stocks of vaccines for emergencies or outbreaks

10. Education Expenditure (% of GDP) - General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditures funded by transfers from international sources to the government. General government usually refers to local, regional, and central governments.

11. Unemployment (% total labor force) - Unemployment refers to the % share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment

12. Corruption (CPIA rating) - Transparency, accountability, and corruption in the public sector assets the extent to which the executive can be held accountable for its use of funds and for the results of its actions by the electorate and by the legislature and judiciary, and the extent to which public employees within the executive are required to...

The average for 2022 based on 24 countries was 77.36 years. The highest value was in Bermuda: 84.51 years and the lowest value was in Haiti: 66.7 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

ObjectiveWe describe trends in life expectancy at birth (LE) and between-country LE disparities since 1965, in Latin America and the Caribbean.Methods & FindingsLE trends since 1965 are described for three geographical sub-regions: the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. LE disparities are explored using a suite of absolute and relative disparity metrics, with measurement consensus providing confidence to observed differences. LE has increased throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Compared to the Caribbean, LE has increased by an additional 6.6 years in Central America and 4.1 years in South America. Since 1965, average reductions in between-country LE disparities were 14% (absolute disparity) and 23% (relative disparity) in the Caribbean, 55% and 51% in Central America, 55% and 52% in South America.ConclusionsLE in Latin America and the Caribbean is exceeding ‘minimum standard’ international targets, and is improving relative to the world region with the highest human longevity. The Caribbean, which had the highest LE and the lowest between-country LE disparities in Latin America and the Caribbean in 1965-70, had the lowest LE and the highest LE disparities by 2005-10. Caribbean Governments have championed a collaborative solution to the growing burden of non-communicable disease, with 15 territories signing on to the Declaration of Port of Spain, signalling regional commitment to a coordinated public-health response. The persistent LE inequity between Caribbean countries suggests that public health interventions should be tailored to individual countries to be most effective. Between- and within-country disparity monitoring for a range of health metrics should be a priority, first to guide country-level policy initiatives, then to contribute to the assessment of policy success.