Life expectancy at birth, total in China
China: Life expectancy at birth, total was 77.95 years in 2023. β² Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in China, 1970β2023
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 212 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.
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 growth rate by level of development -1.68 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 15.54 million (2100)
- Population density 67.46 (2100)
- Population growth rate -1.68 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.01 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 303,405 (2020)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.01 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.01 (2024)
- Natural population growth -0.1957 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 0.999 (2023)
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 212 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 Β· JSON β 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release