Life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa
South Africa: Life expectancy at birth, total was 66.14 years in 2023. β² Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa, 1970β2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 66.14 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa peaked at 66.14 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 53.91 years, in 2005.
South Africa ranks 180th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.44 years | 55.68 years | 59.47 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 61.78 years | 59.96 years | 63.02 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.58 years | 59.19 years | 62.98 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.58 years | 53.91 years | 58.37 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.28 years | 58.89 years | 66.07 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.69 years | 62.01 years | 66.14 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More population data for South Africa
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.23 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.55 million (2100)
- Population density 77.75 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.23 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0148 % change on previous year (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 2.21 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 71,171 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 2.21 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 2.21 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception, annual growth rate -0.4964 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in South Africa was 66.14 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 66.14 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.91 years in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- South Africa ranks 180th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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