South Africa vs Zambia: Life Expectancy at Birth
South Africa
66.31
in 2024
Zambia
66.53
in 2024
South Africa rank
182nd
Zambia rank
180th
Life Expectancy at Birth over time
- South Africa
- Zambia
How they compare
Zambia currently reports 66.53 against 66.31 in South Africa, a difference of 0.22.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 182nd and Zambia ranks 180th of 216 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 54.21 | 51.84 | 2.36 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 57.44 | 55.25 | 2.2 | South Africa |
| 1980s | 61.78 | 52.35 | 9.43 | South Africa |
| 1990s | 61.58 | 46.48 | 15.1 | South Africa |
| 2000s | 55.58 | 51.14 | 4.44 | South Africa |
| 2010s | 63.28 | 60.15 | 3.13 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 65.01 | 64.78 | 0.237 | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy at birth, South Africa or Zambia?
- Zambia, at 66.53 against 66.31 in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in life expectancy at birth between South Africa and Zambia?
- 0.22, with Zambia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zambia?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Zambia rank globally for life expectancy at birth?
- South Africa ranks 182nd and Zambia ranks 180th of 216 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Monetary Fund, published as Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.