Life Expectancy by Country in 2023

Life Expectancy by Country in 2023: Global Rankings and Trends

Life expectancy is a vital indicator of a nation’s health, socioeconomic development, and healthcare infrastructure. In 2023, the global landscape of longevity reveals a striking divide between countries with the highest life expectancies and those struggling with shorter lifespans.

What Is Life Expectancy at Birth?

Life expectancy at birth represents the average number of years a newborn is expected to live if current mortality rates remain constant throughout their lifetime. This metric reflects the overall health status of a population and serves as a key indicator of healthcare system effectiveness, economic development, and quality of life.

Global Average and Regional Variations

The global average life expectancy in 2023 hovers around 73 years, with wide variation across continents:

• Europe and East Asia dominate the upper ranks with countries like Sweden (83.3), South Korea (83.4), and Australia (83.1).
• In contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa reports significantly lower figures, reflecting challenges in healthcare access, conflict, and infectious diseases.

Top 10 Countries with Highest Life Expectancy

1. Monaco – 86.4 years
2. San Marino – 85.7 years
3. Hong Kong SAR, China – 85.2 years
4. Liechtenstein – 84.8 years
5. French Polynesia – 84.1 years
6. Switzerland – 84.1 years
7. Japan – 84.0 years
8. Andorra – 84.0 years
9. Spain – 83.9 years
10. Italy – 83.7 years
11. Gibraltar – 83.6 years
12. Malta – 83.5 years
13. Korea, Rep. – 83.4 years
14. Luxembourg – 83.4 years
15. Sweden – 83.3 years
16. Israel – 83.2 years
17. Kuwait – 83.2 years
18. Macao SAR, China – 83.2 years
19. Faroe Islands – 83.1 years
20. Norway – 83.1 years
21. Australia – 83.1 years
22. New Zealand – 83.0 years
23. France – 82.9 years
24. United Arab Emirates – 82.9 years
25. Singapore – 82.9 years

Countries With the Lowest Life Expectancy

At the other end of the spectrum, Nigeria has the lowest reported life expectancy in 2023, at just 54.5 years. Other countries with life expectancy below 60 include:

Country	Life Expectancy
Chad	55.1
Central African Republic	57.4
Lesotho	57.4
South Sudan	57.6
Somalia	58.8
Mali	60.4

🔍 Key Observations

Historical Life Expectancy By Country (2005-2023):

Rank	Country Name	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
1	Monaco	84.3	84.2	83.9	83.8	84.2	84.6	85.0	85.0	85.1	85.1	85.3	85.6	85.9	86.1	86.2	86.1	85.1	85.7	86.4
2	San Marino	81.9	82.3	82.6	82.9	83.2	83.5	83.7	83.9	84.2	84.4	84.6	84.8	84.9	85.1	85.3	82.7	83.5	85.7	85.7
3	Hong Kong SAR, China	81.6	82.4	82.4	82.3	82.8	83.0	83.4	83.5	83.8	83.9	84.3	84.2	84.7	84.9	85.2	85.5	85.5	83.7	85.2
4	Liechtenstein	80.7	80.9	81.3	82.7	81.5	81.8	81.8	82.4	82.3	82.1	82.7	82.3	83.7	83.0	84.2	81.7	84.4	84.1	84.8
5	French Polynesia	80.0	80.1	80.3	80.6	80.9	81.1	81.4	81.7	81.9	82.2	82.3	82.6	82.8	83.0	83.2	82.5	79.6	83.9	84.1
6	Switzerland	81.2	81.5	81.7	82.0	82.0	82.2	82.7	82.7	82.8	83.2	82.9	83.6	83.6	83.8	83.9	83.0	83.8	83.6	84.1
7	Japan	82.0	82.3	82.5	82.6	82.9	82.8	82.6	83.1	83.3	83.6	83.8	84.0	84.1	84.2	84.4	84.6	84.4	84.0	84.0
8	Andorra	83.1	83.4	83.6	83.9	84.1	84.2	84.3	84.3	84.4	84.5	84.5	84.5	84.4	84.2	84.1	79.4	82.3	84.0	84.0
9	Spain	80.2	80.8	80.9	81.2	81.5	81.6	82.5	82.4	83.1	83.2	82.8	83.3	83.3	83.4	83.8	82.2	83.2	83.1	83.9
10	Italy	80.8	81.3	81.4	81.5	81.6	82.0	82.2	82.2	82.7	83.1	82.5	83.2	82.9	83.3	83.5	82.2	82.6	82.7	83.7
11	Gibraltar	81.0	81.1	81.3	81.5	81.8	82.1	82.3	82.5	82.6	82.6	82.7	82.7	82.9	83.0	83.2	83.1	80.3	83.5	83.6
12	Malta	79.3	79.4	79.8	79.6	80.2	81.4	80.7	80.7	81.7	82.0	81.9	82.5	82.3	82.2	82.7	82.1	82.3	82.4	83.5
13	Korea, Rep.	78.2	78.7	79.1	79.5	80.0	80.1	80.6	80.8	81.3	81.7	82.0	82.3	82.6	82.6	83.2	83.4	83.5	82.7	83.4
14	Luxembourg	79.4	79.3	79.4	80.5	80.6	80.6	81.0	81.4	81.8	82.2	82.3	82.7	82.1	82.3	82.6	82.1	82.6	82.9	83.4
15	Sweden	80.5	80.7	80.9	81.1	81.4	81.5	81.8	81.7	82.0	82.3	82.2	82.3	82.4	82.6	83.1	82.4	83.1	83.1	83.3
16	Israel	80.2	80.6	80.5	81.0	81.4	81.6	81.7	81.7	82.1	82.2	82.1	82.4	82.6	82.8	82.8	82.6	82.5	82.7	83.2
17	Kuwait	76.8	76.9	77.0	77.2	77.4	77.7	78.1	78.4	78.7	79.1	79.4	79.7	79.9	80.1	82.0	78.8	78.7	80.6	83.2
18	Macao SAR, China	81.3	81.7	81.7	82.0	82.2	82.3	82.5	82.5	82.7	83.0	83.2	83.3	83.5	83.7	83.9	84.1	83.7	83.1	83.2
19	Faroe Islands	79.4	79.7	79.9	80.1	80.4	80.6	80.9	81.1	81.3	81.6	81.8	82.0	82.1	82.3	82.4	82.6	82.8	82.9	83.1
20	Norway	80.0	80.3	80.4	80.6	80.8	81.0	81.3	81.5	81.8	82.1	82.3	82.4	82.6	82.8	83.0	83.2	83.2	82.5	83.1
21	Australia	80.8	81.0	81.3	81.4	81.5	81.7	81.9	82.0	82.1	82.3	82.4	82.4	82.5	82.7	82.9	83.2	83.3	83.2	83.1
22	New Zealand	79.9	80.0	80.2	80.4	80.7	80.9	81.2	81.4	81.4	81.5	81.6	81.7	81.9	81.7	82.1	82.3	82.2	82.0	83.0
23	France	80.2	80.8	81.1	81.2	81.4	81.7	82.1	82.0	82.2	82.7	82.3	82.6	82.6	82.7	82.8	82.2	82.3	82.1	82.9
24	United Arab Emirates	80.8	81.2	81.4	81.6	81.7	81.9	81.9	81.9	82.0	82.0	82.1	82.2	82.4	82.4	82.6	81.9	79.1	80.5	82.9
25	Singapore	80.0	80.1	80.4	80.8	81.2	81.5	81.7	82.0	82.2	82.5	82.7	82.8	83.1	83.3	83.6	83.5	83.1	82.9	82.9

Source

World Bank, Life expectancy at birth, total (years), 2023 estimates.