Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Benin

Benin: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 60.77 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
60.77 years
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
207th
of 215 countries
All-time high
60.77 years
in 2023
All-time low
43.03 years
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Life expectancy at birth, total in Benin, 1970–2023

0204060197019962023

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.

Analysis

Benin recorded 60.77 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.

The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Benin peaked at 60.77 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43.03 years, in 1970.

That places Benin 207th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Benin, year by year

Annual values for Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in Benin, 1970 to 2023.
Year years Change
1970 43.03 years —
1971 43.39 years +0.8%
1972 43.93 years +1.2%
1973 44.44 years +1.2%
1974 44.88 years +1.0%
1975 45.41 years +1.2%
1976 45.95 years +1.2%
1977 46.5 years +1.2%
1978 46.94 years +0.9%
1979 47.36 years +0.9%
1980 47.75 years +0.8%
1981 48.12 years +0.8%
1982 48.49 years +0.8%
1983 48.84 years +0.7%
1984 49.4 years +1.1%
1985 49.96 years +1.1%
1986 50.63 years +1.3%
1987 51.26 years +1.2%
1988 52.02 years +1.5%
1989 52.45 years +0.8%
1990 53.02 years +1.1%
1991 53.44 years +0.8%
1992 54.14 years +1.3%
1993 54.61 years +0.9%
1994 54.99 years +0.7%
1995 55.37 years +0.7%
1996 55.65 years +0.5%
1997 55.99 years +0.6%
1998 56.15 years +0.3%
1999 56.34 years +0.3%
2000 56.59 years +0.5%
2001 56.65 years +0.1%
2002 56.85 years +0.3%
2003 57.09 years +0.4%
2004 57.35 years +0.4%
2005 57.74 years +0.7%
2006 57.97 years +0.4%
2007 58.25 years +0.5%
2008 58.1 years -0.3%
2009 58.26 years +0.3%
2010 58.39 years +0.2%
2011 58.46 years +0.1%
2012 58.56 years +0.2%
2013 58.86 years +0.5%
2014 59.01 years +0.2%
2015 59.12 years +0.2%
2016 59.28 years +0.3%
2017 59.53 years +0.4%
2018 59.71 years +0.3%
2019 59.89 years +0.3%
2020 60.15 years +0.4%
2021 59.61 years -0.9%
2022 60.48 years +1.5%
2023 60.77 years +0.5%

Benin compared with similar countries

  • Benin's 60.77 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65 years, 90% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Benin's 60.77 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1 years, 95% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 45.18 years 43.03 years 47.36 years 10
1980s 49.89 years 47.75 years 52.45 years 10
1990s 54.97 years 53.02 years 56.34 years 10
2000s 57.48 years 56.59 years 58.26 years 10
2010s 59.08 years 58.39 years 59.89 years 10
2020s 60.25 years 59.61 years 60.77 years 4

Countries ranked near Benin

  1. 204 Sierra Leone 61.79 years compare
  2. 205 Niger 61.18 years compare
  3. 206 Burkina Faso 61.09 years compare
  4. 208 Guinea 60.74 years compare
  5. 209 Mali 60.44 years compare
  6. 210 Somalia 58.82 years compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More population data for Benin

All data for Benin →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, total in Benin?
Life expectancy at birth, total in Benin was 60.77 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Benin?
The highest recorded value was 60.77 years in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Benin?
The lowest recorded value was 43.03 years in 1970.
How does Benin rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
Benin ranks 207th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Benin?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Benin data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy at birth, total in Benin. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years-2/benin/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
215 places, 11,590 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release