Life expectation at birth by sex in China
China: Life expectation at birth by sex was 80.93 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
80.93
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
75th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.13
in 2022
All-time low
34.86
in 1960
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectation at birth by sex in China, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectation at birth by sex in China is 80.93, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectation at birth by sex in China peaked at 81.13 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 34.86, in 1960.
China ranks 75th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectation at birth by sex in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.73 | — |
| 1951 | 46.4 | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 47.21 | +1.7% |
| 1953 | 47.65 | +0.9% |
| 1954 | 48.57 | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 49.23 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 49.79 | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 50.4 | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 50.93 | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 41.98 | -17.6% |
| 1960 | 34.86 | -17.0% |
| 1961 | 41.9 | +20.2% |
| 1962 | 53.19 | +27.0% |
| 1963 | 53.87 | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 54.53 | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 55.22 | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 55.8 | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 56.5 | +1.3% |
| 1968 | 57.23 | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 57.99 | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 58.78 | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 59.6 | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 60.47 | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 61.48 | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 62.35 | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 63.11 | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 63.28 | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 64.67 | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 65.33 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 65.95 | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 66.51 | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 67.08 | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 67.57 | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 68.07 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 68.51 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 68.92 | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 69.32 | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 69.75 | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 70.12 | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 70.42 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 70.56 | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 71.05 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 71.48 | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 72.01 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 72.41 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 73.02 | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 73.48 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 73.89 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 74.24 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 74.54 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 74.89 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 75.29 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 75.66 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 76.02 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 76.37 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 76.77 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 77.1 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 77.44 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 77.5 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 78.03 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 78.33 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 78.65 | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 78.98 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 79.22 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 79.51 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 79.78 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 80.05 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 80.27 | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 80.57 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 80.75 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 81 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 80.91 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 81.13 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 80.93 | -0.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 80.93 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 77.75, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 80.93 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 75.84, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectation at birth by sex in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +27.0% | 41.9 | 53.19 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.79 | 41.98 | 50.93 | 10 |
| 1960s | 52.11 | 34.86 | 57.99 | 10 |
| 1970s | 62.5 | 58.78 | 65.95 | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.63 | 66.51 | 70.42 | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.67 | 70.56 | 74.54 | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.51 | 74.89 | 78.03 | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.61 | 78.33 | 80.75 | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.99 | 80.91 | 81.13 | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 72 New Caledonia 81.29 compare
- 73 Falkland Islands 81.24 compare
- 74 Saudi Arabia 81.16 compare
- 76 Bosnia and Herzegovina 80.9 compare
- 77 Thailand 80.86 compare
- 78 Curacao 80.82 compare
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 expectation at birth by sex in China?
- Life expectation at birth by sex in China was 80.93 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectation at birth by sex recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 81.13 in 2022.
- What is the lowest life expectation at birth by sex recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.86 in 1960.
- How does China rank for life expectation at birth by sex?
- China ranks 75th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectation at birth by sex rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectation at birth by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).