Key takeaways
- Monaco leads 2024 at 86.5 years, followed by San Marino at 85.8 and Hong Kong SAR, China at 85.4.
- 4 of 1960's top ten countries remain in the top ten in 2024: Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Sweden.
- Among 2024's top ten, Kuwait recorded the largest climb, rising from 84th in 1960 to 4th in 2024.
- The global median life expectancy rose from 57.0 years in 1960 to 75.0 years in 2024.
- 215 countries reported values in 1960, against 217 in 2024.
4 of 1960's top ten countries still rank in the top ten
Rank position, 1960 → 2024 · top 12 countries of 2024 · 1960 axis breaks below rank 20Life expectancy shows less top-ten stability than <a href="/data/gdp-per-capita-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">GDP per capita</a>, where five of the same year's top ten persist. Only 4 of 1960's life expectancy top ten remain: Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Sweden. The countries that now lead are a mix of small high-income states and Gulf economies that also rank high in <a href="/data/internet-users-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">internet penetration</a> and <a href="/data/gdp-per-capita-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">income per person</a>.
The global median rose from 57.0 years in 1960 to 75.0 years in 2024, a gain that is larger in absolute terms than the movement at the top of the table, where the leaders were already above 70 years in 1960.
Kuwait rose from 84th in 1960 to 4th in 2024
Kuwait ranked 84th in life expectancy in 1960 and 4th in 2024. It also ranks 4th in <a href="/data/gdp-per-capita-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">GDP per capita</a> and 4th in <a href="/data/co2-emissions-per-capita-by-country" class="text-brand hover:text-brand-dark underline underline-offset-2">CO2 emissions per capita</a>: a high-income, high-emission, high-longevity profile shared by several Gulf states in the current top ten.
Inside the current top 20, the largest gain since 2000 belongs to Kuwait, which moved from 44th in 2000 to 4th at 84.6 years.
Full rankings: life expectancy by country, 2024
Trajectory shows each country's annual series indexed to its own 1960–2024 range| Rank▲ | Country⇅ | Trajectory 1960–2024 | Life Expectancy by Country, 2024⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Monaco MCO | | |
| 2 ▲1 |  San Marino SMR | | |
| 3 ▲1 |  Hong Kong SAR, China HKG | | |
| 4 ▲43 |  Kuwait KWT | | |
| 5 ▲2 |  Switzerland CHE | | |
| 6 ▲14 |  Liechtenstein LIE | | |
| 7 ▲11 |  French Polynesia PYF | | |
| 8 ▼6 |  Andorra AND | | |
| 9 ▲6 |  Sweden SWE | | |
| 10 ▼5 |  Japan JPN | | |
| 11 ▼3 |  Italy ITA | | |
| 12 ▼6 |  Spain ESP | | |
| 13 ▼1 |  Gibraltar GIB | | |
| 14 ▲10 |  Korea, Rep. KOR | | |
| 15 ▼2 |  Singapore SGP | | |
| 16 ▼7 |  Macao SAR, China MAC | | |
| 17 |  Israel ISR | | |
| 18 ▼2 |  Luxembourg LUX | | |
| 19 |  Norway NOR | | |
| 20 ▲7 |  Faroe Islands FRO | | |
| 21 |  United Arab Emirates ARE | | |
| 22 ▼8 |  Australia AUS | | |
| 23 ▲9 |  Ireland IRL | | |
| 24 ▼13 |  France FRA | | |
| 25 ▼3 |  Malta MLT | | |
| 26 ▼16 |  Iceland ISL | | |
| 27 ▲3 |  Qatar QAT | | |
| 28 ▲15 |  Bermuda BMU | | |
| 29 ▲8 |  Portugal PRT | | |
| 30 ▲6 |  Finland FIN | | |
| 31 ▲4 |  Belgium BEL | | |
| 32 ▲7 |  Slovenia SVN | | |
| 33 ▲7 |  Denmark DNK | | |
| 34 ▼11 |  Canada CAN | | |
| 35 ▼6 |  New Zealand NZL | | |
| 36 ▼8 |  Austria AUT | | |
| 37 ▼12 |  Netherlands NLD | | |
| 38 ▲6 |  Puerto Rico (US) PRI | | |
| 39 ▼8 |  Greece GRC | | |
| 40 ▼7 |  Cyprus CYP | | |
| 41 ▲1 |  Bahrain BHR | | |
| 42 ▼8 |  United Kingdom GBR | | |
| 43 ▲3 |  Chile CHL | | |
| 44 ▲8 |  Maldives MDV | | |
| 45 ▼19 |  Channel Islands CHI | | |
| 46 ▼3 |  Isle of Man IMN | | |
| 47 ▼6 |  Costa Rica CRI | | |
| 48 ▼10 |  Germany DEU | | |
| 49 |  Virgin Islands (U.S.) VIR | | |
| 50 ▲5 |  Cayman Islands CYM | | |
| 51 ▼6 |  St. Martin (French part) MAF | | |
| 52 ▼4 |  Oman OMN | | |
| 53 ▼2 |  Czechia CZE | | |
| 54 |  Albania ALB | | |
| 55 ▲5 |  Panama PAN | | |
| 56 ▲10 |  Estonia EST | | |
| 57 ▲6 |  Saudi Arabia SAU | | |
| 58 ▲1 |  Northern Mariana Islands MNP | | |
| 59 ▼2 |  Croatia HRV | | |
| 60 ▲5 |  New Caledonia NCL | | |
| 61 ▼11 |  United States USA | | |
| 62 ▼4 |  Poland POL | | |
| 63 ▲5 |  Slovak Republic SVK | | |
| 64 ▲29 |  Armenia ARM | | |
| 65 ▼3 |  Uruguay URY | | |
| 66 ▼10 |  Cuba CUB | | |
| 67 ▲10 |  Kosovo XKX | | |
| 68 ▼7 |  Turks and Caicos Islands TCA | | |
| 69 ▼5 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH | | |
| 70 ▼1 |  China CHN | | |
| 71 ▲26 |  Jordan JOR | | |
| 72 ▼19 |  Lebanon LBN | | |
| 73 ▲16 |  Peru PER | | |
| 74 ▲5 |  Colombia COL | | |
| 75 ▼1 |  Montenegro MNE | | |
| 76 ▲8 |  Iran, Islamic Rep. IRN | | |
| 77 ▼10 |  Antigua and Barbuda ATG | | |
| 78 ▲4 |  Sri Lanka LKA | | |
| 79 ▼1 |  Ecuador ECU | | |
| 80 ▼4 |  Argentina ARG | | |
| 81 ▼11 |  British Virgin Islands VGB | | |
| 82 ▼10 |  Guam GUM | | |
| 83 ▼12 |  Turkiye TUR | | |
| 84 ▲14 |  Lithuania LTU | | |
| 85 ▼12 |  Curacao CUW | | |
| 86 |  Malaysia MYS | | |
| 87 ▼6 |  Hungary HUN | | |
| 88 ▲8 |  Tunisia TUN | | |
| 89 ▼4 |  North Macedonia MKD | | |
| 90 ▼15 |  Thailand THA | | |
| 91 ▼8 |  Sint Maarten (Dutch part) SXM | | |
| 92 ▼4 |  Aruba ABW | | |
| 93 ▼2 |  Algeria DZA | | |
| 94 ▼2 |  Romania ROU | | |
| 95 ▲7 |  Latvia LVA | | |
| 96 ▼16 |  Barbados BRB | | |
| 97 ▲10 |  Seychelles SYC | | |
| 98 ▲7 |  Cabo Verde CPV | | |
| 99 ▼4 |  Brazil BRA | | |
| 100 ▼13 |  Serbia SRB | | |
| 101 ▼2 |  Bulgaria BGR | | |
| 102 ▼8 |  Brunei Darussalam BRN | | |
| 103 ▲14 |  Morocco MAR | | |
| 104 ▼14 |  Grenada GRD | | |
| 105 ▼5 |  Mexico MEX | | |
| 106 ▲7 |  Nicaragua NIC | | |
| 107 ▲35 |  Bangladesh BGD | | |
| 108 ▼4 |  Viet Nam VNM | | |
| 109 ▼6 |  Bahamas, The BHS | | |
| 110 ▲11 |  Ukraine UKR | | |
| 111 ▼2 |  Georgia GEO | | |
| 112 ▲8 |  Azerbaijan AZE | | |
| 113 ▲11 |  Kazakhstan KAZ | | |
| 114 ▼4 |  Belarus BLR | | |
| 115 ▼9 |  Paraguay PRY | | |
| 116 ▼8 |  Dominican Republic DOM | | |
| 117 ▼16 |  Mauritius MUS | | |
| 118 ▲21 |  Suriname SUR | | |
| 119 ▼1 |  Korea, Dem. People's Rep. PRK | | |
| 120 ▲3 |  Belize BLZ | | |
| 121 ▼10 |  Trinidad and Tobago TTO | | |
| 122 ▲11 |  Russian Federation RUS | | |
| 123 ▲13 |  Bhutan BTN | | |
| 124 ▼2 |  Tonga TON | | |
| 125 ▲5 |  Honduras HND | | |
| 126 ▼11 |  American Samoa ASM | | |
| 127 ▼11 |  St. Lucia LCA | | |
| 128 ▲4 |  Guatemala GTM | | |
| 129 ▼17 |  Venezuela, RB VEN | | |
| 130 ▲34 |  Syrian Arab Republic SYR | | |
| 131 |  Uzbekistan UZB | | |
| 132 ▲13 |  Iraq IRQ | | |
| 133 ▲4 |  Kyrgyz Republic KGZ | | |
| 134 |  Mongolia MNG | | |
| 135 ▼7 |  El Salvador SLV | | |
| 136 ▼10 |  St. Kitts and Nevis KNA | | |
| 137 ▲15 |  India IND | | |
| 138 ▲6 |  Tajikistan TJK | | |
| 139 ▼10 |  Samoa WSM | | |
| 140 ▲3 |  Egypt, Arab Rep. EGY | | |
| 141 |  Vanuatu VUT | | |
| 142 ▼23 |  Jamaica JAM | | |
| 143 ▼5 |  St. Vincent and the Grenadines VCT | | |
| 144 ▼4 |  Moldova MDA | | |
| 145 ▼18 |  Dominica DMA | | |
| 146 ▲1 |  Indonesia IDN | | |
| 147 ▼22 |  Libya LBY | | |
| 148 |  Cambodia KHM | | |
| 149 ▲2 |  Solomon Islands SLB | | |
| 150 ▲4 |  Nepal NPL | | |
| 151 ▲4 |  Guyana GUY | | |
| 152 ▼17 |  Greenland GRL | | |
| 153 ▼3 |  Turkmenistan TKM | | |
| 154 ▼8 |  Philippines PHL | | |
| 155 ▲10 |  Sao Tome and Principe STP | | |
| 156 ▼3 |  Yemen, Rep. YEM | | |
| 157 ▼8 |  Palau PLW | | |
| 158 ▲29 |  Botswana BWA | | |
| 159 ▼1 |  Lao PDR LAO | | |
| 160 ▼46 |  West Bank and Gaza PSE | | |
| 161 |  Senegal SEN | | |
| 162 ▲1 |  Eritrea ERI | | |
| 163 ▼7 |  Bolivia BOL | | |
| 164 ▼5 |  Mauritania MRT | | |
| 165 ▼5 |  Gabon GAB | | |
| 166 ▲14 |  Uganda UGA | | |
| 167 ▲3 |  Rwanda RWA | | |
| 168 ▲3 |  Timor-Leste TLS | | |
| 169 ▼3 |  Pakistan PAK | | |
| 170 ▲12 |  Ethiopia ETH | | |
| 171 ▲18 |  Malawi MWI | | |
| 172 ▲24 |  Namibia NAM | | |
| 173 ▼16 |  Fiji FJI | | |
| 174 ▼7 |  Micronesia, Fed. Sts. FSM | | |
| 175 ▼7 |  Tuvalu TUV | | |
| 176 |  Tanzania TZA | | |
| 177 ▼5 |  Myanmar MMR | | |
| 178 ▼9 |  Marshall Islands MHL | | |
| 179 ▼5 |  Comoros COM | | |
| 180 ▼18 |  Kiribati KIR | | |
| 181 ▲12 |  Zambia ZMB | | |
| 182 ▼7 |  Sudan SDN | | |
| 183 ▼4 |  South Africa ZAF | | |
| 184 ▲2 |  Afghanistan AFG | | |
| 185 ▼12 |  Papua New Guinea PNG | | |
| 186 ▼1 |  Djibouti DJI | | |
| 187 ▼3 |  Gambia, The GMB | | |
| 188 ▼11 |  Congo, Rep. COG | | |
| 189 ▼6 |  Ghana GHA | | |
| 190 ▼9 |  Haiti HTI | | |
| 191 |  Angola AGO | | |
| 192 ▲19 |  Eswatini SWZ | | |
| 193 ▲2 |  Guinea-Bissau GNB | | |
| 194 ▲4 |  Cameroon CMR | | |
| 195 ▼3 |  Equatorial Guinea GNQ | | |
| 196 ▼18 |  Madagascar MDG | | |
| 197 ▼9 |  Kenya KEN | | |
| 198 ▼4 |  Burundi BDI | | |
| 199 ▲6 |  Mozambique MOZ | | |
| 200 ▲4 |  Zimbabwe ZWE | | |
| 201 ▼1 |  Togo TGO | | |
| 202 ▼5 |  Liberia LBR | | |
| 203 ▼13 |  Naoero NRU | | |
| 204 ▲2 |  Cote d'Ivoire CIV | | |
| 205 ▼2 |  Congo, Dem. Rep. COD | | |
| 206 ▲4 |  Sierra Leone SLE | | |
| 207 ▼6 |  Niger NER | | |
| 208 ▼6 |  Burkina Faso BFA | | |
| 209 ▼10 |  Benin BEN | | |
| 210 ▼3 |  Guinea GIN | | |
| 211 ▼3 |  Mali MLI | | |
| 212 ▼3 |  Somalia, Fed. Rep. SOM | | |
| 213 ▲1 |  Lesotho LSO | | |
| 214 ▲1 |  South Sudan SSD | | |
| 215 ▲1 |  Central African Republic CAF | | |
| 216 ▼3 |  Chad TCD | | |
| 217 ▼5 |  Nigeria NGA | |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest life expectancy in 2024?
Monaco leads at 86.5 years, followed by San Marino at 85.8 and Hong Kong SAR, China at 85.4.
Which country climbed the life expectancy rankings most since 1960?
Among 2024's top ten, Kuwait recorded the largest climb, rising from 84th in 1960 to 4th in 2024. The downloadable CSV includes the complete rank history for every country.
What is the global median life expectancy?
The median across all 217 countries with reported data rose from 57.0 years in 1960 to 75.0 years in 2024.
How are the rankings calculated?
Rankings are computed among all countries with reported data for each year. Countries with no reported value in a given year are excluded from that year's ranking. The ranking uses the World Bank's single estimate for life expectancy at birth, combining both sexes.
How often is this data updated?
The World Bank publishes updated life expectancy estimates annually. This page is rebuilt from the latest release, retrieved July 2026.
Methodology & Fair Use
Data runs to 2024, the most recent year published by World Bank World Development Indicators.
Figures are life expectancy at birth in years as published in the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN), retrieved July 2026. The measure combines both sexes. Rankings are computed among all countries with reported data for each year; countries with no reported value in a given year are excluded from that year's ranking. Trajectory sparklines index each country's series to its own 1960–2024 range and are not comparable in level across rows.
This dataset is published by Ranking Atlas and may be cited or reproduced with attribution and a link to this page.
Data licence. Source: World Bank World Development Indicators. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Retrieved July 2026.
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