Probability that a man will outlive a woman in China
China: Probability that a man will outlive a woman was 35.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
35.9%
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
191st
of 236 countries
All-time high
47.0%
in 1960
All-time low
35.9%
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Probability that a man will outlive a woman in China, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 35.9% for probability that a man will outlive a woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, probability that a man will outlive a woman in China peaked at 47.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 35.9%, in 2023.
China ranks 191st of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Probability that a man will outlive a woman in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.2% | — |
| 1951 | 45.2% | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 45.1% | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 45.3% | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 45.1% | -0.4% |
| 1955 | 44.6% | -1.1% |
| 1956 | 44.5% | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 44.3% | -0.4% |
| 1958 | 44.1% | -0.6% |
| 1959 | 45.7% | +3.7% |
| 1960 | 47.0% | +2.8% |
| 1961 | 45.8% | -2.5% |
| 1962 | 43.4% | -5.3% |
| 1963 | 43.4% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 43.3% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 43.1% | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 43.2% | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 43.3% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 43.4% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 43.4% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 43.4% | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 43.5% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 43.4% | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 43.0% | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 42.6% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 42.3% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 42.6% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 42.0% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 41.9% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 41.8% | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 41.7% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 41.5% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 41.4% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 41.2% | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 41.1% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 41.0% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 40.9% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 40.6% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 40.5% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 40.5% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 40.8% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 40.7% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 40.7% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 40.3% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 40.0% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 39.7% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 39.6% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 39.5% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 39.6% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 39.7% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 39.6% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 39.5% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 39.4% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 39.2% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 39.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 38.9% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 38.8% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 38.9% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 38.7% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 38.4% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 38.6% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 38.1% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 37.9% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 37.8% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 37.6% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 37.5% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 37.2% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 36.4% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 36.9% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 37.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 36.3% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 36.8% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 36.2% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 35.9% | -1.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 35.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38.4%, 93% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 35.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 40.0%, 90% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.9% | 44.1% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 43.9% | 43.1% | 47.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 42.6% | 41.8% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 41.0% | 40.5% | 41.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.1% | 39.5% | 40.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.1% | 38.4% | 39.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.5% | 36.4% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.3% | 35.9% | 36.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 188 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 36.1% compare
- 189 Spain 36.0% compare
- 190 Micronesia (country) 35.9% compare
- 192 Martinique 35.8% compare
- 193 Tonga 35.7% compare
- 194 Saint Barthelemy 35.6% compare
More gender data for China
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 169,741 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -5.36 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1.23 million (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1.23 million (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.4481 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 4.15 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 4.56 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 4.18 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 4.62 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 4.32 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is probability that a man will outlive a woman in China?
- Probability that a man will outlive a woman in China was 35.9% in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest probability that a man will outlive a woman recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 47.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest probability that a man will outlive a woman recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.9% in 2023.
- How does China rank for probability that a man will outlive a woman?
- China ranks 191st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is probability that a man will outlive a woman rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Probability that a man will outlive a woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Probability that a male will live longer than a female if both are randomly selected from the population at birth.