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.

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.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific (SPDYNLE00INEAP) from 1960 to 2022 about East Asia, Pacific, life expectancy, life, and birth.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total: All Income Levels for Europe and Central Asia (SPDYNLE00INECS) from 1960 to 2022 about Central Asia, life expectancy, life, birth, Europe, and income.

This scatter chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) against birth rate (per 1,000 people) and is filtered where the region is Eastern Asia. The data is about countries per year.

Chart and table of East Asia Pacific Ida Ibrd Countries life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

This dataset is about countries in Eastern Asia, featuring 3 columns: country, life expectancy at birth, and population. The preview is ordered by population (descending).

Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for South Asia was 69.64362 Number of Years in January of 2019, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for South Asia reached a record high of 69.64362 in January of 2019 and a record low of 35.76349 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for South Asia - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Life expectancy at birth, male (years) in South Asia was reported at 66.41 years in 2022, 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 March of 2025.

This scatter chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) against male population (people) and is filtered where the region is Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

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.

This bar chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) by country using the aggregation sum and is filtered where the region is Southern Asia. The data is about countries.

According to UN world population prospects from 2024, the average life expectancy at birth was projected to stand at around 85.8 years in Hong Kong in 2023, followed by just over 85.5 years in Macao. Life expectancy at birth was forecasted to be approximately 72.9 years in Mongolia as of 2023.

School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years) in South Asia was reported at 7.449 years in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, male (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

In 2024, the average life expectancy at birth for men in Singapore was 82.3 years. Comparatively, the male life expectancy at birth was 64.6 years in Myanmar. That year, the life expectancy for women in Southeast Asia was also highest in Singapore at around 86.5 years.

This statistic shows the life expectancy at birth in the ASEAN countries in Asia from 2012 to 2022. The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2022, the average life expectancy at birth in Cambodia was 69.9 years.

School life expectancy, primary and secondary, gender parity index (GPI) in South Asia was reported at 0.99281 GPI in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - School life expectancy, primary and secondary, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) in South Asia was reported at 9.7988 years in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Asia - School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.