Life Expectancy at Birth in South Africa
South Africa: Life Expectancy at Birth was 66.31 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
66.31
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
182nd
of 216 countries
All-time high
66.31
in 2024
All-time low
52.58
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life Expectancy at Birth in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 66.31 for life expectancy at birth in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in South Africa peaked at 66.31 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 52.58, in 1960.
South Africa ranks 182nd of 216 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life Expectancy at Birth in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 52.58 | — |
| 1961 | 53.07 | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 53.57 | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 53.9 | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 54.22 | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 54.43 | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 54.73 | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 54.95 | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 55.19 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 55.44 | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 55.68 | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 56.02 | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 56.38 | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 56.72 | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 57.11 | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 57.59 | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 58 | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 58.48 | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 58.99 | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 59.47 | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 59.96 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 60.45 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 60.94 | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 61.39 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 61.84 | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 62.2 | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 62.42 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 62.69 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 62.9 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 63.02 | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 62.94 | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 62.98 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 62.84 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 62.62 | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 62.07 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 61.6 | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 61.08 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 60.54 | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 59.91 | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 59.19 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 58.37 | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 57.16 | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 55.58 | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 54.24 | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 53.96 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 53.91 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 54.22 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 54.95 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 55.98 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 57.41 | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 58.89 | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 60.6 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 61.74 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 62.39 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 63.18 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 64.05 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 64.75 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 65.42 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 65.73 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 66.07 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 65.15 | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 62.01 | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 65.45 | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 66.14 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 66.31 | +0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 66.31 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.45, 89% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 66.31 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 54.21 | 52.58 | 55.44 | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.44 | 55.68 | 59.47 | 10 |
| 1980s | 61.78 | 59.96 | 63.02 | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.58 | 59.19 | 62.98 | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.58 | 53.91 | 58.37 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.28 | 58.89 | 66.07 | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.01 | 62.01 | 66.31 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More gender data for South Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,151 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6591 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 51,011 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 51,011 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in South Africa?
- Life expectancy at birth in South Africa was 66.31 in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 66.31 in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.58 in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for life expectancy at birth?
- South Africa ranks 182nd out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.