Statizoid

Life expectancy by sex in South Africa

South Africa: Life expectancy by sex was 69.6 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
69.6 years
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
196th
of 236 countries
All-time high
69.6 years
in 2023
All-time low
44.13 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Life expectancy by sex in South Africa, 1950–2023

0204060195019862023

Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2023, life expectancy by sex in South Africa stood at 69.6 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy by sex in South Africa peaked at 69.6 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 44.13 years, in 1950.

South Africa ranks 196th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Life expectancy by sex in South Africa, year by year

Year years Change
1950 44.13 years —
1951 45.15 years +2.3%
1952 46.23 years +2.4%
1953 47.35 years +2.4%
1954 48.55 years +2.5%
1955 49.7 years +2.4%
1956 50.88 years +2.4%
1957 52 years +2.2%
1958 53.02 years +2.0%
1959 53.83 years +1.5%
1960 54.58 years +1.4%
1961 55.22 years +1.2%
1962 55.68 years +0.8%
1963 56.05 years +0.7%
1964 56.36 years +0.6%
1965 56.6 years +0.4%
1966 56.92 years +0.6%
1967 57.2 years +0.5%
1968 57.48 years +0.5%
1969 57.77 years +0.5%
1970 58.08 years +0.5%
1971 58.43 years +0.6%
1972 58.73 years +0.5%
1973 59.05 years +0.5%
1974 59.44 years +0.7%
1975 59.89 years +0.8%
1976 60.41 years +0.9%
1977 61.02 years +1.0%
1978 61.57 years +0.9%
1979 62.12 years +0.9%
1980 62.73 years +1.0%
1981 63.26 years +0.8%
1982 63.83 years +0.9%
1983 64.36 years +0.8%
1984 64.92 years +0.9%
1985 65.47 years +0.8%
1986 65.89 years +0.6%
1987 66.21 years +0.5%
1988 66.63 years +0.6%
1989 66.83 years +0.3%
1990 66.89 years +0.1%
1991 66.97 years +0.1%
1992 66.81 years -0.2%
1993 66.5 years -0.5%
1994 65.99 years -0.8%
1995 65.16 years -1.3%
1996 64.46 years -1.1%
1997 63.66 years -1.2%
1998 62.9 years -1.2%
1999 62.05 years -1.3%
2000 61.08 years -1.6%
2001 59.49 years -2.6%
2002 57.7 years -3.0%
2003 56.27 years -2.5%
2004 55.75 years -0.9%
2005 55.46 years -0.5%
2006 55.93 years +0.8%
2007 56.89 years +1.7%
2008 58.15 years +2.2%
2009 59.69 years +2.7%
2010 61.24 years +2.6%
2011 63.14 years +3.1%
2012 64.43 years +2.0%
2013 65.24 years +1.3%
2014 66.18 years +1.4%
2015 67.03 years +1.3%
2016 67.92 years +1.3%
2017 68.58 years +1.0%
2018 68.91 years +0.5%
2019 69.22 years +0.4%
2020 67.95 years -1.8%
2021 64.77 years -4.7%
2022 69.04 years +6.6%
2023 69.6 years +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 49.08 years 44.13 years 53.83 years 10
1960s 56.39 years 54.58 years 57.77 years 10
1970s 59.87 years 58.08 years 62.12 years 10
1980s 65.01 years 62.73 years 66.83 years 10
1990s 65.14 years 62.05 years 66.97 years 10
2000s 57.64 years 55.46 years 61.08 years 10
2010s 66.19 years 61.24 years 69.22 years 10
2020s 67.84 years 64.77 years 69.6 years 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 193 Rwanda 69.89 years compare
  2. 194 Tanzania, United Republic of 69.78 years compare
  3. 195 Sudan 69.63 years compare
  4. 197 Timor-Leste 69.44 years compare
  5. 198 Fiji 69.36 years compare
  6. 199 Marshall Islands 69.33 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy by sex in South Africa?
Life expectancy by sex in South Africa was 69.6 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 South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 69.6 years in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy by sex recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 44.13 years in 1950.
How does South Africa rank for life expectancy by sex?
South Africa ranks 196th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy by sex rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa 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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Life expectancy by sex in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectation-at-birth-by-sex/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy by sex
Unit
years
Source
Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 18,722 data points, 1751–2023
Last refreshed

Period life expectancy at birth among females, in a given year.