Life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia
South Asia: Life expectancy at birth, total was 72.56 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 72.56 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia peaked at 72.56 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 45.58 years, in 1960.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.66 years | 45.58 years | 48.5 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 50.43 years | 46.68 years | 53.06 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.89 years | 53.61 years | 57.97 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 60.28 years | 58.41 years | 62.29 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.86 years | 62.8 years | 66.84 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.26 years | 67.35 years | 71 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.02 years | 67.82 years | 72.56 years | 5 |
More health data for South Asia
- Age dependency ratio, young 36.1% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male 68.2% (2025)
- Age dependency ratio, old 10.8% (2025)
- Population, female 825.70 million (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female 560.64 million (2025)
- Age dependency ratio 47.0% (2025)
- Population, male 51.2% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female 67.9% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male 591.11 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female 65.23 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in South Asia was 72.56 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 72.56 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.58 years in 1960.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.