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.

Over the past 75 years, women have generally had a higher life expectancy than men by around 4-6 years. Reasons for this difference include higher susceptibility to childhood diseases among males; higher rates of accidental deaths, conflict-related deaths, and suicide among adult men; and higher prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle habits and chronic illnesses, as well as higher susceptibility to chronic diseases among men. Therefore, men not only have lower life expectancy than women overall, but also throughout each stage of life. Throughout the given period, there were notable dips in life expectancy for both sexes, including a roughly four year drop in 1960 due to China's so-called Great Leap Forward, and a 1.8 year drop due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. Across the world, differences in life expectancy can vary between the sexes by large margins. In countries such as the Nordics, for example, the difference is low due to high-quality healthcare systems and access, as well as high quality diets and lifestyles. In Eastern Europe, however, the difference is over 10 years in Russia and Ukraine due to the war, although the differences were already very pronounced in this region before 2022, in large part driven by unhealthier lifestyles among men.

The significant increase in life expectancy over the past 75 years has largely been driven by reductions in infant and child mortality, and has seen life expectancy from birth increase by 27 years between 1950 and 2024. However, this is not the only driver of increased life expectancy, as humanity has also got much better at prolonging life for adults. In 1950, 65-year-olds could expect to live for another 11 years on average, while this has risen to almost 18 years in 2024. The notable dips in life expectancy are due to China's Great Leap Forward around 1960, famine and conflict in Asia (especially Bangladesh) around 1970, and the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s.

Australia Life Expectancy at Birth data was reported at 93.000 Year in 2100. This records an increase from the previous number of 92.900 Year for 2099. Australia Life Expectancy at Birth data is updated yearly, averaging 86.800 Year from Jun 1986 (Median) to 2100, with 115 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 93.000 Year in 2100 and a record low of 75.600 Year in 1986. Australia Life Expectancy at Birth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

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

In 2023, the average life expectancy at birth for men and women in South Korea was estimated to stand at 81.2 years and 87.2 years, respectively. Life expectancy at birth was particular low for men at the start of the 1950s due to the Korean War (1950-1953), and lagged 10 to 15 years behind women for decades. While women still have a longer life expectancy, the gap has been increasingly getting smaller, down to a difference of around six years in the 2020s. By the year 2100, it is estimated that life expectancy at birth for Korean women will have risen to 96 years, while their male counterparts are expected to reach 90.2 years old.

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

Belgium BE: Life Expectancy at Birth data was reported at 92.500 Year in 2100. This stayed constant from the previous number of 92.500 Year for 2099. Belgium BE: Life Expectancy at Birth data is updated yearly, averaging 86.200 Year from Jun 1991 (Median) to 2100, with 110 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 92.500 Year in 2100 and a record low of 76.100 Year in 1991. Belgium BE: Life Expectancy at Birth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Belgium – Table BE.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Albania Life Expectancy at Birth data was reported at 91.200 Year in 2100. This records an increase from the previous number of 91.100 Year for 2099. Albania Life Expectancy at Birth data is updated yearly, averaging 83.400 Year from Jun 1989 (Median) to 2100, with 112 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91.200 Year in 2100 and a record low of 70.200 Year in 1994. Albania Life Expectancy at Birth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Albania – Table AL.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Austria AT: Life Expectancy at Birth data was reported at 92.400 Year in 2100. This records an increase from the previous number of 92.300 Year for 2099. Austria AT: Life Expectancy at Birth data is updated yearly, averaging 85.950 Year from Jun 1991 (Median) to 2100, with 110 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 92.400 Year in 2100 and a record low of 75.600 Year in 1991. Austria AT: Life Expectancy at Birth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Austria – Table AT.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Argentina AR: Life Expectancy at Birth data was reported at 90.700 Year in 2100. This records an increase from the previous number of 90.600 Year for 2099. Argentina AR: Life Expectancy at Birth data is updated yearly, averaging 81.400 Year from Jun 1980 (Median) to 2100, with 121 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 90.700 Year in 2100 and a record low of 70.200 Year in 1981. Argentina AR: Life Expectancy at Birth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Argentina – Table AR.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Armenia AM: Life Expectancy at Birth data was reported at 90.300 Year in 2100. This records an increase from the previous number of 90.200 Year for 2099. Armenia AM: Life Expectancy at Birth data is updated yearly, averaging 81.450 Year from Jun 1989 (Median) to 2100, with 112 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 90.300 Year in 2100 and a record low of 68.600 Year in 1993. Armenia AM: Life Expectancy at Birth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Armenia – Table AM.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

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

Azerbaijan Life Expectancy at Birth data was reported at 89.900 Year in 2100. This records an increase from the previous number of 89.800 Year for 2099. Azerbaijan Life Expectancy at Birth data is updated yearly, averaging 80.850 Year from Jun 1989 (Median) to 2100, with 112 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 89.900 Year in 2100 and a record low of 62.400 Year in 1994. Azerbaijan Life Expectancy at Birth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Azerbaijan – Table AZ.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

This statistic shows the median age of the world population from 1950 to 2100. By 2100, the global median age is projected to be 41.9 years of age.

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

This statistic shows the median age of the population in Switzerland from 1950 to 2100. The median age of a population is an index that divides the population into two equal groups: half of the population is older than the median age and the other half younger.In 2020, the median age of Switzerland's population was 41.7 years. See Switzerland's population figures for comparison.

Norway SSB Projection: Vital Statistics: Life Expectancy: Male data was reported at 91.600 Year in 2100. This records an increase from the previous number of 91.500 Year for 2099. Norway SSB Projection: Vital Statistics: Life Expectancy: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 86.850 Year from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2100, with 86 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91.600 Year in 2100 and a record low of 80.200 Year in 2015. Norway SSB Projection: Vital Statistics: Life Expectancy: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Norway. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Norway – Table NO.G005: Vital Statistics: Projection: Statistics Norway.

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

Since 1970, the median age of China’s population has continued to increase from around 20 years to around 37.5 years in 2020. According to estimates from the United Nations, the increasing trend will slow down when the median age will reach 50 years in the middle of the 21st century and will remain at around 60 years up to 2100. China’s aging population Although the median age of China’s population is still lower than in many developed countries, for example in Japan, the consequences of a rapidly aging population have already become a concern for the country’s future. As the most populated country in the world, the large labor force in China contributed to the country’s astonishing economic growth in the last decades. Nowadays however, the aging population is going to become a burden for China’s social welfare system and could change China’s economic situation. Reasons for the aging population Like in many other countries, increasing life expectancy is regarded as the main reason for the aging of the population. As healthcare and living standards have improved, life expectancy in China has also increased. In addition, the one-child policy led to a decreasing fertility rate in China, which further increased the share of older people in the society. Even though the one-child policy has been abolished in 2016, many young people are refraining from having children, largely due to the high costs of raising a child, career pressure and the pursuit of freedom.