Marshall Islands vs South Africa: Life expectancy by sex
Marshall Islands
69.33 years
in 2023
South Africa
69.6 years
in 2023
Marshall Islands rank
199th
South Africa rank
196th
Life expectancy by sex over time
- Marshall Islands
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 69.6 years against 69.33 years in Marshall Islands, a difference of 0.27 years.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Marshall Islands ahead.
Marshall Islands ranks 199th and South Africa ranks 196th of 236 countries.
Marshall Islands has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Marshall Islands | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 57.05 years | 49.08 years | 7.96 years | Marshall Islands |
| 1960s | 60.5 years | 56.39 years | 4.11 years | Marshall Islands |
| 1970s | 64.19 years | 59.87 years | 4.31 years | Marshall Islands |
| 1980s | 65.53 years | 65.01 years | 0.5226 years | Marshall Islands |
| 1990s | 65.39 years | 65.14 years | 0.2517 years | Marshall Islands |
| 2000s | 66.54 years | 57.64 years | 8.9 years | Marshall Islands |
| 2010s | 67.54 years | 66.19 years | 1.35 years | Marshall Islands |
| 2020s | 68.59 years | 67.84 years | 0.755 years | Marshall Islands |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy by sex, Marshall Islands or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 69.6 years against 69.33 years in Marshall Islands as of 2023.
- What is the difference in life expectancy by sex between Marshall Islands and South Africa?
- 0.27 years, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Marshall Islands and South Africa?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Marshall Islands and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy by sex?
- Marshall Islands ranks 199th and South Africa ranks 196th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Life expectancy by sex. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth among females, in a given year.