Life expectancy by sex in India
India: Life expectancy by sex was 73.6 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
73.6 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
164th
of 236 countries
All-time high
73.6 years
in 2023
All-time low
40.4 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy by sex in India, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
India recorded 73.6 years for life expectancy by sex in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy by sex in India peaked at 73.6 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 40.4 years, in 1950.
That places India 164th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy by sex in India, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 40.4 years | — |
| 1951 | 40.84 years | +1.1% |
| 1952 | 41.35 years | +1.2% |
| 1953 | 41.67 years | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 42.54 years | +2.1% |
| 1955 | 43.03 years | +1.2% |
| 1956 | 43.42 years | +0.9% |
| 1957 | 43.7 years | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 44.05 years | +0.8% |
| 1959 | 44.53 years | +1.1% |
| 1960 | 44.88 years | +0.8% |
| 1961 | 45.11 years | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 45.44 years | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 45.79 years | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 46.09 years | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 44.98 years | -2.4% |
| 1966 | 45.32 years | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 45.63 years | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 47.33 years | +3.7% |
| 1969 | 47.68 years | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 48.01 years | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 48.33 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 48.67 years | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 49.11 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 49.75 years | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 50.28 years | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 50.87 years | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 51.44 years | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 52.12 years | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 52.81 years | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 53.49 years | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 54.17 years | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 54.84 years | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 55.5 years | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 56.13 years | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 56.74 years | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 57.32 years | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 57.87 years | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 58.38 years | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 58.89 years | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 59.36 years | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 59.8 years | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 60.24 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 60.62 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 61.04 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 61.44 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 61.86 years | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 62.3 years | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 62.76 years | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 63.25 years | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 63.79 years | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 64.28 years | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 64.86 years | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 65.38 years | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 65.84 years | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 66.38 years | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 66.87 years | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 67.36 years | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 67.84 years | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 68.33 years | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 68.81 years | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 69.28 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 69.73 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 70.15 years | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 70.57 years | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 70.94 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 71.3 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 71.63 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 71.96 years | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 72.29 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 71.94 years | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 68.83 years | -4.3% |
| 2022 | 73.27 years | +6.4% |
| 2023 | 73.6 years | +0.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 73.6 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 70.48 years, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 73.6 years is below the median for South Asia, which is 75.67 years, 97% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 42.55 years | 40.4 years | 44.53 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 45.83 years | 44.88 years | 47.68 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 50.14 years | 48.01 years | 52.81 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 56.33 years | 53.49 years | 58.89 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 61.27 years | 59.36 years | 63.25 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.09 years | 63.79 years | 68.33 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 70.67 years | 68.81 years | 72.29 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.91 years | 68.83 years | 73.6 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More population data for India
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.4607 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.2494 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 66.77 million people (2100)
- Population density 506.27 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7604 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.7665 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy by sex in India?
- Life expectancy by sex in India was 73.6 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy by sex recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 73.6 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy by sex recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.4 years in 1950.
- How does India rank for life expectancy by sex?
- India ranks 164th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy by sex rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth among females, in a given year.