Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 77.48 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
77.48 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
75th
of 215 countries
All-time high
77.48 years
in 2023
All-time low
64.24 years
in 1971
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Life expectancy at birth, total in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 77.48 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Sri Lanka peaked at 77.48 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 64.24 years, in 1971.
Sri Lanka ranks 75th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 64.35 years | — |
| 1971 | 64.24 years | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 64.62 years | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 64.78 years | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 64.97 years | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 65.36 years | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 65.84 years | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 66.39 years | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 66.84 years | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 67.51 years | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 68.01 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 68.38 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 68.67 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 68.73 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 68.76 years | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 68.88 years | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 68.96 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 69.01 years | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 69 years | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 67.28 years | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 69.24 years | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 69.13 years | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 69.62 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 70.05 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 70.21 years | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 69.75 years | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 69.84 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 69.93 years | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 70.13 years | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 70.43 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 71.18 years | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 71.8 years | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 72.27 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 72.44 years | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 68.02 years | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 73.07 years | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 72.83 years | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 72.98 years | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 72.56 years | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 70.3 years | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 74.46 years | +5.9% |
| 2011 | 74.74 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 75.19 years | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 75.55 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 75.76 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 75.99 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 76.14 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 76.24 years | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 76.48 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 76.7 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 76.93 years | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 76.28 years | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 77.3 years | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 77.48 years | +0.2% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 77.48 years is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.01 years, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 77.48 years is above the median for South Asia, which is 73.82 years, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 65.49 years | 64.24 years | 67.51 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.57 years | 67.28 years | 69.01 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 69.83 years | 69.13 years | 70.43 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 71.75 years | 68.02 years | 73.07 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.72 years | 74.46 years | 76.7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 77 years | 76.28 years | 77.48 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More population data for Sri Lanka
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5555 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.0083 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5555 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 21,815 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1332 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.558 (2100)
- Population density 343.51 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 901,396 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Sri Lanka?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Sri Lanka was 77.48 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 77.48 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.24 years in 1971.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Sri Lanka ranks 75th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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