Over the past 160 years, life expectancy (from birth) in the United States has risen from 39.4 years in 1860, to 78.9 years in 2020. One of the major reasons for the overall increase of life expectancy in the last two centuries is the fact that the infant and child mortality rates have decreased by so much during this time. Medical advancements, fewer wars and improved living standards also mean that people are living longer than they did in previous centuries.

Despite this overall increase, the life expectancy dropped three times since 1860; from 1865 to 1870 during the American Civil War, from 1915 to 1920 during the First World War and following Spanish Flu epidemic, and it has dropped again between 2015 and now. The reason for the most recent drop in life expectancy is not a result of any specific event, but has been attributed to negative societal trends, such as unbalanced diets and sedentary lifestyles, high medical costs, and increasing rates of suicide and drug use.

A global phenomenon, known as the demographic transition, has seen life expectancy from birth increase rapidly over the past two centuries. In pre-industrial societies, the average life expectancy was around 24 years, and it is believed that this was the case throughout most of history, and in all regions. The demographic transition then began in the industrial societies of Europe, North America, and the West Pacific around the turn of the 19th century, and life expectancy rose accordingly. Latin America was the next region to follow, before Africa and most Asian populations saw their life expectancy rise throughout the 20th century.

For most of the world, throughout most of human history, the average life expectancy from birth was around 24. This figure fluctuated greatly depending on the time or region, and was higher than 24 in most individual years, but factors such as pandemics, famines, and conflicts caused regular spikes in mortality and reduced life expectancy. Child mortality The most significant difference between historical mortality rates and modern figures is that child and infant mortality was so high in pre-industrial times; before the introduction of vaccination, water treatment, and other medical knowledge or technologies, women would have around seven children throughout their lifetime, but around half of these would not make it to adulthood. Accurate, historical figures for infant mortality are difficult to ascertain, as it was so prevalent, it took place in the home, and was rarely recorded in censuses; however, figures from this source suggest that the rate was around 300 deaths per 1,000 live births in some years, meaning that almost one in three infants did not make it to their first birthday in certain periods. For those who survived to adolescence, they could expect to live into their forties or fifties on average. Modern figures It was not until the eradication of plague and improvements in housing and infrastructure in recent centuries where life expectancy began to rise in some parts of Europe, before industrialization and medical advances led to the onset of the demographic transition across the world. Today, global life expectancy from birth is roughly three times higher than in pre-industrial times, at almost 73 years. It is higher still in more demographically and economically developed countries; life expectancy is over 82 years in the three European countries shown, and over 84 in Japan. For the least developed countries, mostly found in Sub-Saharan Africa, life expectancy from birth can be as low as 53 years.

This table contains 2394 series, with data for years 1991 - 1991 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 items: Canada ...), Population group (19 items: Entire cohort; Income adequacy quintile 1 (lowest);Income adequacy quintile 2;Income adequacy quintile 3 ...), Age (14 items: At 25 years; At 30 years; At 40 years; At 35 years ...), Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Females; Males ...), Characteristics (3 items: Life expectancy; High 95% confidence interval; life expectancy; Low 95% confidence interval; life expectancy ...).

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

In 2022 life expectancy for both males and females at birth fell when compared to 2021. Male life expectancy fell from 78.71 years to 78.57 years, and from 82.68 years to 82.57 years for women.

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

Female life expectancy of Inner Mongolia leapt by 7.64% from 71.79 years in 2000 to 77.27 years in 2010. Since the 7.64% jump in 2010, female life expectancy remained stable by 0.00% in 2010. Life Expectancy refers to the average number of years that people who already have lived to a certain age and can relive. It reflects integrated indicators of the level of human health and the level of death and is mainly affected by the level of social and economic conditions and health standards and other factors, and differs a lot in different societies and different period of time. In the case of not specified ages, the average life expectancy refers to life expectancy of the population aged 0.

Liechtenstein LI: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data was reported at 85.600 Year in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 86.400 Year for 2021. Liechtenstein LI: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 83.600 Year from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2022, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.400 Year in 2021 and a record low of 79.900 Year in 2000. Liechtenstein LI: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Liechtenstein – Table LI.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. 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.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics.;Weighted average;

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

Global life expactancy at birth has risen significantly since the mid-1900s, from roughly 46 years in 1950 to 73.5 years in 2025. Post-COVID-19 projections There was a drop of 1.7 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, between 2019 and 2021, however figures resumed upon their previous trajectory the following year due to the implementation of vaccination campaigns and the lower severity of later strains of the virus. By the end of the century it is believed that global life expectancy from birth will reach 82 years, although growth will slow in the coming decades as many of the more-populous Asian countries reach demographic maturity. However, there is still expected to be a wide gap between various regions at the end of the 2100s, with the Europe and North America expected to have life expectancies around 90 years, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to be in the low-70s. The Great Leap Forward While a decrease of one year during the COVID-19 pandemic may appear insignificant, this is the largest decline in life expectancy since the "Great Leap Forward" in China in 1958, which caused global life expectancy to fall by almost four years between by 1960. The "Great Leap Forward" was a series of modernizing reforms, which sought to rapidly transition China's agrarian economy into an industrial economy, but mismanagement led to tens of millions of deaths through famine and disease.

Female life expectancy of Chongqing leapt by 6.37% from 73.89 years in 2000 to 78.60 years in 2010. Since the 6.37% jump in 2010, female life expectancy remained stable by 0.00% in 2010. Life Expectancy refers to the average number of years that people who already have lived to a certain age and can relive. It reflects integrated indicators of the level of human health and the level of death and is mainly affected by the level of social and economic conditions and health standards and other factors, and differs a lot in different societies and different period of time. In the case of not specified ages, the average life expectancy refers to life expectancy of the population aged 0.

Female life expectancy of Xinjiang leapt by 8.27% from 69.14 years in 2000 to 74.86 years in 2010. Since the 8.27% jump in 2010, female life expectancy remained stable by 0.00% in 2010. Life Expectancy refers to the average number of years that people who already have lived to a certain age and can relive. It reflects integrated indicators of the level of human health and the level of death and is mainly affected by the level of social and economic conditions and health standards and other factors, and differs a lot in different societies and different period of time. In the case of not specified ages, the average life expectancy refers to life expectancy of the population aged 0.

CN: Life Expectancy: Female: Chongqing data was reported at 81.640 Year Old in 12-01-2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 78.600 Year Old for 12-01-2010. CN: Life Expectancy: Female: Chongqing data is updated decadal, averaging 78.600 Year Old from Dec 2000 (Median) to 12-01-2020, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 81.640 Year Old in 12-01-2020 and a record low of 73.890 Year Old in 12-01-2000. CN: Life Expectancy: Female: Chongqing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Life Expectancy: By Region.

Life Expectancy at Birth: Male: VR: Orenburg Region data was reported at 65.140 Year in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 65.550 Year for 2022. Life Expectancy at Birth: Male: VR: Orenburg Region data is updated yearly, averaging 61.750 Year from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2023, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.620 Year in 2019 and a record low of 58.300 Year in 2000. Life Expectancy at Birth: Male: VR: Orenburg Region data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Demographic and Labour Market – Table RU.GD011: Life Expectancy at Birth: by Region.

India's Life expectancy at birth - males and female life expectancy, and comparison with global peers.

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

Armenia Vital Statistics: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data was reported at 81.000 Person in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 78.300 Person for 2022. Armenia Vital Statistics: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 77.350 Person from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2023, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 81.000 Person in 2023 and a record low of 75.800 Person in 2000. Armenia Vital Statistics: Life Expectancy at Birth: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Armenia – Table AM.G003: Vital Statistics.

Male life expectancy of Ningxia grew by 3.79% from 68.71 years in 2000 to 71.31 years in 2010. Since the 3.79% climb in 2010, male life expectancy remained constant by 0.00% in 2010. Life Expectancy refers to the average number of years that people who already have lived to a certain age and can relive. It reflects integrated indicators of the level of human health and the level of death and is mainly affected by the level of social and economic conditions and health standards and other factors, and differs a lot in different societies and different period of time. In the case of not specified ages, the average life expectancy refers to life expectancy of the population aged 0.

Male life expectancy of Shanghai grew by 2.60% from 76.22 years in 2000 to 78.20 years in 2010. Since the 2.60% climb in 2010, male life expectancy remained constant by 0.00% in 2010. Life Expectancy refers to the average number of years that people who already have lived to a certain age and can relive. It reflects integrated indicators of the level of human health and the level of death and is mainly affected by the level of social and economic conditions and health standards and other factors, and differs a lot in different societies and different period of time. In the case of not specified ages, the average life expectancy refers to life expectancy of the population aged 0.