Rwanda vs South Africa: Life expectancy by sex
Rwanda
69.89 years
in 2023
South Africa
69.6 years
in 2023
Rwanda rank
193rd
South Africa rank
196th
Life expectancy by sex over time
- Rwanda
- South Africa
How they compare
Rwanda currently reports 69.89 years against 69.6 years in South Africa, a difference of 0.29 years.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
Rwanda ranks 193rd and South Africa ranks 196th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Rwanda | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 45.21 years | 49.08 years | 3.87 years | South Africa |
| 1960s | 47.97 years | 56.39 years | 8.41 years | South Africa |
| 1970s | 46.58 years | 59.87 years | 13.29 years | South Africa |
| 1980s | 51.95 years | 65.01 years | 13.06 years | South Africa |
| 1990s | 43.02 years | 65.14 years | 22.12 years | South Africa |
| 2000s | 56.98 years | 57.64 years | 0.6599 years | South Africa |
| 2010s | 66.98 years | 66.19 years | 0.7961 years | Rwanda |
| 2020s | 69.37 years | 67.84 years | 1.53 years | Rwanda |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy by sex, Rwanda or South Africa?
- Rwanda, at 69.89 years against 69.6 years in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in life expectancy by sex between Rwanda and South Africa?
- 0.29 years, with Rwanda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and South Africa?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Rwanda and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy by sex?
- Rwanda ranks 193rd and South Africa ranks 196th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – 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.