Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in China
China: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 77.95 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
77.95 years
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
66th
of 215 countries
All-time high
78.2 years
in 2022
All-time low
56.82 years
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Life expectancy at birth, total in China, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in China is 77.95 years, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in China peaked at 78.2 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 56.82 years, in 1970.
China ranks 66th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 China, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 56.82 years | — |
| 1971 | 57.73 years | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 58.58 years | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 59.5 years | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 60.24 years | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 60.95 years | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 61.23 years | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 62.46 years | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 63.1 years | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 63.7 years | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 64.24 years | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 64.78 years | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 65.25 years | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 65.73 years | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 66.15 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 66.53 years | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 66.89 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 67.26 years | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 67.61 years | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 67.93 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 68.16 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 68.61 years | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 69.06 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 69.49 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 69.83 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 70.36 years | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 70.82 years | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 71.23 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 71.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 71.95 years | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 72.29 years | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 72.67 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 73.03 years | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 73.39 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 73.73 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 74.08 years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 74.4 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 74.79 years | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 74.83 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 75.32 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 75.67 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 75.89 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 76.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 76.45 years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 76.71 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 76.97 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 77.21 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 77.23 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 77.71 years | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 77.94 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 78.02 years | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 78.12 years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 78.2 years | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 77.95 years | -0.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 77.95 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.01 years, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 77.95 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 60.43 years | 56.82 years | 63.7 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 66.24 years | 64.24 years | 67.93 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.11 years | 68.16 years | 71.95 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.85 years | 72.29 years | 75.32 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.8 years | 75.67 years | 77.94 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.07 years | 77.95 years | 78.2 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More population data for China
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.66 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -12.97 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.66 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.19 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 1.31 million Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.1671 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3489 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -1.68 (2100)
- Population density 67.46 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 15.54 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in China?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in China was 77.95 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 78.2 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.82 years in 1970.
- How does China rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- China ranks 66th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release