Life expectancy at birth, total in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Life expectancy at birth, total was 62.8 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in Sub-Saharan Africa is 62.8 years, measured 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 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 62.8 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 41.43 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 | 42.9 years | 41.43 years | 44.31 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.34 years | 44.77 years | 48.15 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 49.13 years | 48.38 years | 50.15 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 50.33 years | 49.9 years | 51.01 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.82 years | 51.64 years | 56.37 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.18 years | 57.11 years | 61.13 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.83 years | 60.7 years | 62.8 years | 5 |
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 65 and above 3.2% (2025)
- Population, female 50.2% (2025)
- Age dependency ratio, young 71.6% (2025)
- Age dependency ratio 78.1% (2025)
- Population, female 662.87 million (2025)
- Age dependency ratio, old 5.7% (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, male 18.77 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female 23.95 million (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female 3.6% (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female 56.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Sub-Saharan Africa was 62.8 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 62.8 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.43 years in 1960.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.
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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.