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.

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.

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.

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.

Objectives:The current study aimed to generate the first life tables for the UK companion cat population overall as well as broken down by sex and breed status, and to quantify associations between traits such as sex, neuter status, breed status and bodyweight with mortality.Methods:Life table construction and modelling included data on 7,936 confirmed deaths in cats under primary veterinary care at clinics participating in the VetCompass Programme in 2019. The life tables were built for cats overall, for female and male cats, and for crossbred cats and purebred cats. Multivariable generalised linear regression models were generated to explore risk factors for shortened lifespan.Results:Life expectancy at age 0 for UK companion cats overall was 11.74 (95% CI: 11.61−11.87) years. The probability of death at each year interval increased with age from year interval 3−4, with the probability value not exceeding 0.05 before year 9. Female cats (12.51; 95% CI: 12.32−12.69) had 1.33-year longer life expectancy than male cats (11.18; 95% CI: 11.01−11.38) at age 0. Among 13 breeds (including crossbreed) analysed, Burmese and Birman had the longest life expectancy at year 0, showing 14.42 (95% CI: 12.91−15.93) and 14.39 (95% CI: 12.87−15.91), respectively. The Sphynx had the shortest life expectancy at year 0 among the breeds analysed at 6.68 (95% CI: 4.53−8.83). Being intact, purebred and non-ideal bodyweight were significantly linked to a decreased lifespan.Conclusions and relevance:The life tables presented here for pet cats in the UK overall, by sex and by crossbred and purebred can contribute to a better understanding of the life trajectory of cats, helping evidence-based decision-making for cat owners and the veterinary profession. We also provided updated life expectancy at age 0 of various cat breeds for 2019 and showed evidence of the association between non-ideal weight and a decreased lifespan.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR Life Expectancy (EQ6)

FULL MEASURE NAME Life Expectancy

LAST UPDATED April 2017

DESCRIPTION Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a newborn is expected to live if mortality patterns remain the same. The measure reflects the mortality rate across a population for a point in time.

DATA SOURCE State of California, Department of Health: Death Records (1990-2013) No link

California Department of Finance: Population Estimates Annual Intercensal Population Estimates (1990-2010) Table P-2: County Population by Age (2010-2013) http://www.dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Demographics/Estimates/

U.S. Census Bureau: Decennial Census ZCTA Population (2000-2010) http://factfinder.census.gov

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 5-Year Population Estimates (2013) http://factfinder.census.gov

CONTACT INFORMATION vitalsigns.info@mtc.ca.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator) Life expectancy is commonly used as a measure of the health of a population. Life expectancy does not reflect how long any given individual is expected to live; rather, it is an artificial measure that captures an aspect of the mortality rates across a population that can be compared across time and populations. More information about the determinants of life expectancy that may lead to differences in life expectancy between neighborhoods can be found in the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII) Health Inequities in the Bay Area report at http://www.barhii.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/barhii_hiba.pdf. Vital Signs measures life expectancy at birth (as opposed to cohort life expectancy). A statistical model was used to estimate life expectancy for Bay Area counties and ZIP Codes based on current life tables which require both age and mortality data. A life table is a table which shows, for each age, the survivorship of a people from a certain population.

Current life tables were created using death records and population estimates by age. The California Department of Public Health provided death records based on the California death certificate information. Records include age at death and residential ZIP Code. Single-year age population estimates at the regional- and county-level comes from the California Department of Finance population estimates and projections for ages 0-100+. Population estimates for ages 100 and over are aggregated to a single age interval. Using this data, death rates in a population within age groups for a given year are computed to form unabridged life tables (as opposed to abridged life tables). To calculate life expectancy, the probability of dying between the jth and (j+1)st birthday is assumed uniform after age 1. Special consideration is taken to account for infant mortality.

For the ZIP Code-level life expectancy calculation, it is assumed that postal ZIP Codes share the same boundaries as ZIP Code Census Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs). More information on the relationship between ZIP Codes and ZCTAs can be found at http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/zctas.html. ZIP Code-level data uses three years of mortality data to make robust estimates due to small sample size. Year 2013 ZIP Code life expectancy estimates reflects death records from 2011 through 2013. 2013 is the last year with available mortality data. Death records for ZIP Codes with zero population (like those associated with P.O. Boxes) were assigned to the nearest ZIP Code with population. ZIP Code population for 2000 estimates comes from the Decennial Census. ZIP Code population for 2013 estimates are from the American Community Survey (5-Year Average). ACS estimates are adjusted using Decennial Census data for more accurate population estimates. An adjustment factor was calculated using the ratio between the 2010 Decennial Census population estimates and the 2012 ACS 5-Year (with middle year 2010) population estimates. This adjustment factor is particularly important for ZCTAs with high homeless population (not living in group quarters) where the ACS may underestimate the ZCTA population and therefore underestimate the life expectancy. The ACS provides ZIP Code population by age in five-year age intervals. Single-year age population estimates were calculated by distributing population within an age interval to single-year ages using the county distribution. Counties were assigned to ZIP Codes based on majority land-area.

ZIP Codes in the Bay Area vary in population from over 10,000 residents to less than 20 residents. Traditional life expectancy estimation (like the one used for the regional- and county-level Vital Signs estimates) cannot be used because they are highly inaccurate for small populations and may result in over/underestimation of life expectancy. To avoid inaccurate estimates, ZIP Codes with populations of less than 5,000 were aggregated with neighboring ZIP Codes until the merged areas had a population of more than 5,000. ZIP Code 94103, representing Treasure Island, was dropped from the dataset due to its small population and having no bordering ZIP Codes. In this way, the original 305 Bay Area ZIP Codes were reduced to 217 ZIP Code areas for 2013 estimates. Next, a form of Bayesian random-effects analysis was used which established a prior distribution of the probability of death at each age using the regional distribution. This prior is used to shore up the life expectancy calculations where data were sparse.

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.

The average for 2022 based on 12 countries was 72.9 years. The highest value was in Chile: 79.52 years and the lowest value was in Bolivia: 64.93 years. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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

This table contains mortality indicators by sex for Canada and all provinces except Prince Edward Island. These indicators are derived from three-year complete life tables. Mortality indicators derived from single-year life tables are also available (table 13-10-0837). For Prince Edward Island, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, mortality indicators derived from three-year abridged life tables are available (table 13-10-0140).

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.

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

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

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

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

In 2024 life expectancy in France is a question of region, department and city In France, life expectancy at birth is 85.3 years for women and 79.4 years for men. This means that on average, a French woman born in 2024 will live to the age of 85.3 years, and a man to the age of 79.4. However, life expectancy varies considerably depending on the region, department and city where you live. In region Life expectancy is highest in Île-de-France, with 86.6 years for women and 81.9 years for men. Then come Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (86.5 years for women, 81.7 years for men), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (86.4 years for women, 81.5 years for men) and Brittany (86.2 years for women, 81.3 years for men). Conversely, life expectancy is lowest in Hauts-de-France, with 83.9 years for women and 78.9 years for men. Then come Normandy (84.1 years for women, 79.1 years for men), Centre-Val de Loire (84.2 years for women, 79.3 years for men) and Burgundy-Franche-Comté (84.3 years for women, 79.4 years for men). Department At the departmental level, the departments where we live the longest are Hauts-de-Seine (86.7 years for women, 81.9 years for men), Yvelines (86.4 years for women, 81.6 years for men), Val-de-Marne (86.3 years for women, 81.3 years for men), Paris (86.2 years for women, 81.1 years for men) and Haute-Garonne (86.2 years for women, 81.1 years for men). Conversely, the departments where we live the least long are Creuse (76.4 years for women, 72.3 years for men), Pas-de-Calais (76.6 years for women, 72.5 years for men), Aisne (76.7 years for women, 72.6 years for men) and Somme (76.8 years for women, 72.7 years for men). In town At the municipal level, the cities where we live the longest are Paris (86.2 years for women, 81.1 years for men), Neuilly-sur-Seine (86.1 years for women, 81.0 years for men), Boulogne-Billancourt (85.9 years for women, 80.8 years for men), Rueil-Malmaison (85.8 years for women, 80.7 years for men) and Issy-les-Moulineaux (85.7 years for women, 80.6 years for men). Conversely, the cities with the least long lived are The Crown (75.4 years for women, 71.3 years for men), Saint-Quentin (75.5 years for women, 71.4 years for men), Maubeuge (75.6 years for women, 71.5 years for men) and Valenciennes (75.7 years for women, 71.6 years for men). Factors that influence life expectancy Many factors influence life expectancy, including: Standard of living Access to care The conditions To view life expectancy for a specific region, department or city, please consult the following document:

Life expectancy at birth and at age 65, by sex, on a three-year average basis.

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.

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

BackgroundStudies show that the U.S. foreign-born population has lower mortality than the native-born population before age 65. Until recently, the lack of data prohibited reliable comparisons of U.S. mortality by nativity at older ages. This study provides reliable estimates of U.S. foreign-born and native-born mortality at ages 65 and older at the end of the 20th century. Life expectancies of the U.S. foreign born are compared to other developed nations and the foreign-born contribution to total life expectancy (TLE) in the United States is assessed. MethodsNewly available data from Medicare Part B records linked with Social Security Administration files are used to estimate period life tables for nearly all U.S. adults aged 65 and older in 1995. Age-specific survival differences and life expectancies are examined in 1995 by sex, race, and place of birth. ResultsForeign-born men and women had lower mortality at almost every age from 65 to 100 compared to native-born men and women. Survival differences by nativity were substantially greater for blacks than whites. Foreign-born blacks had the longest life expectancy of all population groups (18.73 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 18.15–19.30] years at age 65 for men and 22.76 [95% CI, 22.28–23.23] years at age 65 for women). The foreign-born population increased TLE in the United States at older ages, and by international comparison, the U.S. foreign born were among the longest-lived persons in the world. ConclusionSurvival estimates based on reliable Medicare data confirm that foreign-born adults have longer life expectancy at older ages than native-born adults in the United States.