The 15 countries with the highest life expectancies — and the 15 with the lowest

Visitors sit and stand among historic cannons overlooking a sunlit hillside city and harbor. — Monaco has the highest life expectancy in the world.
Simona Sirio/Getty Images

The World Bank Group ranked life expectancy in different countries around the world.
High mortality among infants and children significantly lowers the life expectancy at birth.
Monaco and San Marino had the highest life expectancies, while Nigeria and Chad had the lowest.

Jeanne Calment was the oldest verified person to have ever lived, passing away at 122.

Despite Calment’s extraordinary longevity, her home country, France, ranks 19th in the world for average life expectancy.

The World Bank Group collected data on life expectancy at birth by country through 2024. Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn is expected to live if mortality patterns remain the same throughout their life.

The countries ranked highest tend to be wealthier, with robust healthcare systems and lower rates of early-life mortality.

Meanwhile, the countries with the lowest life expectancy are all located in Africa, which often faces disease, malnutrition, and conflict. High mortality among infants and children and healthcare shortages on the continent significantly lower the life expectancy at birth.

The US ranked 47th in the dataset, with an average life expectancy of 78.9 years.

The World Bank Group used statistics from sources such as the United Nations and national statistical office databases. Business Insider did not include autonomous regions and territories listed in the data.

The average life expectancy estimates for 2024 are based on data interpolated across five-year periods, so they may not reflect events that occurred in that year and affected mortality rates, such as a conflict or famine.

See the 15 countries with the highest life expectancy, followed by the 15 with the lowest.

13. (tie) Norway’s average life expectancy is 83.2 years.

Sailboats and crowds fill Oslo's sunny waterfront harbor beneath a blue sky and city skyline. — Oslo, Norway.
xbrchx/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Average female life expectancy: 84.8

Average male life expectancy: 81.6

13. (tie) Luxembourg’s average life expectancy is 83.2.

Luxembourg flag flies above a green park and historic city skyline with church spires. — Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
olrat/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 85.5

Average male life expectancy: 81.0

13. (tie) Israel’s average life expectancy is 83.2.

Aerial view of a coastal city skyline with high-rise buildings, beachfront parks, roads, and turquoise water. — Tel Aviv, Israel.
Boarding1Now/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Average female life expectancy: 85.4

Average male life expectancy: 81.1

12. Singapore’s average life expectancy is 83.3 years.

Singapore skyline with the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay waterfront, bridge, and Gardens by the Bay greenery under a cloudy sky. — Singapore is a city-state.
tupungato/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 85.6

Average male life expectancy: 81.2

11. South Korea’s average life expectancy is 83.6 years.

Seoul skyline at sunset with N Seoul Tower rising from a central hill above dense high-rise buildings. — Seoul, South Korea.
pinglabel/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 86.6

Average male life expectancy: 80.8

10. Spain’s average life expectancy is 83.9 years.

Gran Vía cityscape in Madrid with the Metrópolis Building, Edificio Telefónica, traffic, and dramatic clouds. — Madrid, Spain.
VanderWolf-Images/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 86.5

Average male life expectancy: 81.4

8. (tie) Italy’s average life expectancy is 84.0 years.

Rome skyline with historic domes, the Vittoriano monument, trees, and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky. — Rome, Italy.
Andrew Jackson/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 86.0

Average male life expectancy: 82.0

8. (tie) Japan’s average life expectancy is 84.0 years.

Tokyo skyline at sunset with illuminated Tokyo Tower and Mount Fuji rising in the background. — Tokyo, Japan.
tawatchaiprakobkit/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 87.1

Average male life expectancy: 81.1

7. Sweden’s average life expectancy is 84.1 years.

Aerial view of central Stockholm with Gamla Stan rooftops, church spires, waterfront, and Stockholm City Hall. — Stockholm, Sweden.
Wirestock/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 85.6

Average male life expectancy: 82.6

5. (tie) Andorra’s average life expectancy is 84.2 years.

Dense town buildings fill a green mountain valley beneath steep rocky slopes and a cloudy sky. — Andorra la Vella, Andorra.
Armando Oliveira/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Average female life expectancy: 86.2

Average male life expectancy: 82.3

5. (tie) Liechtenstein’s average life expectancy is 84.2 years.

Aerial view of a town with homes, roads, green fields, and forested mountains rising in the background. — Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
Stefan Krisa/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 86.3

Average male life expectancy: 82.2

4. Switzerland’s average life expectancy is 84.4 years.

Waterfront buildings and moored sailboats line a blue lake with a yellow boat and snow-capped mountain behind. — Geneva, Switzerland.
Xantana/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 86.2

Average male life expectancy: 82.7

3. Kuwait’s average life expectancy is 84.6 years.

Kuwait Towers rise above Kuwait City’s waterfront skyline during a golden sunset. — Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Anson Fernandez Dionisio/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Average female life expectancy: 85.4

Average male life expectancy: 83.8

2. San Marino’s average life expectancy is 85.8 years.

Rolling green countryside surrounds a red-roofed hillside town under a cloudy sky. — San Marino is a small country surrounded by Italy.
A.Greeg/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 87.2

Average male life expectancy: 84.3

1. Monaco’s average life expectancy is 86.5 years.

Coastal Monaco cityscape with high-rise buildings, marina, mountains, and blue Mediterranean water under a clear sky. — Monte Carlo, Monaco
saiko3p/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 88.6

Average male life expectancy: 84.6

15. On the lower end, Nauru’s average life expectancy is 62.3 years.

Ocean waves break against a harbor breakwater and rocky shoreline beneath a cloudy blue sky. — Anibare in the tiny island nation of Nauru.
aksum/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 64.2

Average male life expectancy: 60.4

14. Côte d’Ivoire’s average life expectancy is 62.1 years.

Domed basilica with colonnades stands across a wide paved plaza beneath a partly cloudy blue sky. — Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
Dave Primov/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 64.3

Average male life expectancy: 60.2

13. The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s average life expectancy is 62.1 years.

Elevated view of a broad urban boulevard with traffic, high-rises, billboards, and a hazy skyline. — Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Fanny Salmon/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 64.2

Average male life expectancy: 60.0

12. Sierra Leone’s average life expectancy is 62.0 years.

Dense waterfront city buildings sit below green hills with communication towers under a clear blue sky. — Freetown, Sierra Leone.
viti/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 63.7

Average male life expectancy: 60.2

11. Niger’s average life expectancy is 61.4 years.

Urban skyline and mid-rise buildings rise beyond dense green trees under a hazy blue sky. — Niamey, Niger.
HomoCosmicos/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 62.4

Average male life expectancy: 60.5

10. Burkina Faso’s average life expectancy is 61.3 years.

Mud-brick buildings and small shelters line a calm waterway under a clear blue sky. — Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
libre de droit/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 63.4

Average male life expectancy: 59.1

9. Benin’s average life expectancy is 61.0 years.

Weathered historic building stands beside a mosque with minarets on a quiet street crossed by overhead wires. — Porto-Novo, Benin.
RosaFurtado/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 62.4

Average male life expectancy: 59.5

8. Guinea’s average life expectancy is 60.9 years.

Aerial view of a coastal city with port facilities, docks, warehouses, cranes, and vessels along the waterfront. — Conakry, Guinea.
Salah Latreche/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 62.1

Average male life expectancy: 59.7

7. Mali’s average life expectancy is 60.7 years.

Aerial view of a dense low-rise city district with industrial storage tanks and water visible in the distance. — Bamako, Mali.
Thomas Brissiaud/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Average female life expectancy: 62.2

Average male life expectancy: 59.3

6. Somalia’s average life expectancy is 59.0 years.

Aerial view of a crowded urban beach with turquoise coastal water, anchored boats, and dense city buildings. — Gokhan Kavak/Anadolu via Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 61.6

Average male life expectancy: 56.5

5. Lesotho’s average life expectancy is 57.8 years.

Aerial view of a town with roads, buildings, green fields, and distant hills under a hazy sky. — Maseru, Lesotho.
Chen Wei/Xinhua via Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 60.4

Average male life expectancy: 55.0

3. (tie) South Sudan’s average life expectancy is 57.7 years.

Aerial view of a sprawling low-rise urban neighborhood with dusty roads, walled compounds, trees, and scattered larger buildings. — Juba, South Sudan.
Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 60.7

Average male life expectancy: 54.8

3. (tie) The Central African Republic’s average life expectancy is 57.7 years.

Brick church with twin towers faces a plaza with cars, pedestrians, and a motorcycle in front. — Bangui, Central African Republic.
PATRICK MEINHARDT/AFP via Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 59.6

Average male life expectancy: 55.5

2. Chad’s average life expectancy is 55.2 years.

Aerial view of an arid town with dense buildings, roads, scattered trees, and a large dark pond. — N’Djamena, Chad.
HomoCosmicos/Getty Images

Average female life expectancy: 57.2

Average male life expectancy: 53.4

1. Nigeria’s average life expectancy is 54.6 years.

Aerial view of a sprawling city with residential neighborhoods, roads, greenery, and hazy skyline in the distance. — Abuja, Nigeria.
Ugochukwu Odom/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Average female life expectancy: 54.9

Average male life expectancy: 54.3

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