China: Life expectancy at birth, total (years)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, China's life expectancy at birth, total (years) rose 0.06 on 2023 (from 77.95 to 78.02).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.28 and a typical year strayed about 0.16 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 10.8 in 1962 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.25 in 2023. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.13 a year. A straight line explains 76% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, China had the 70th highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to China in the 2024 ranking

• Kosovo — 67th of 217: 78.22
• Turks and Caicos Islands — 68th of 217: 78.18
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 69th of 217: 78.04
• Jordan — 71st of 217: 77.98
• Lebanon — 72nd of 217: 77.95
• Peru — 73rd of 217: 77.94

What this measures

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.

Limitations: Annual data series from United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects are interpolated data from 5-year period data. Therefore they may not reflect real events as much as observed data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 65 values

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in nearby economies

• American Samoa — 72.99 (2024)
• Australia — 83.05 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 75.5 (2024)
• Cambodia — 70.82 (2024)
• Fiji — 67.46 (2024)
• French Polynesia — 84.19 (2024)
• Guam — 77.42 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 85.39 (2024)
• Indonesia — 71.29 (2024)
• Japan — 84.04 (2024)
• Kiribati

More health data for China

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 3.25% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 3.46% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 101.3 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 14.67% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 115.41 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 16.12% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 216.72 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 15.41% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.41% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is China's life expectancy at birth, total (years)?

78.02 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 133.45% from 33.42 in 1960 (1.33% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 78.2 in 2022 and the lowest 33.42 in 1960.

How does China rank?

70th highest of 217 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in life expectancy at birth, total (years) unusual for China?

In 2024, China's life expectancy at birth, total (years) rose 0.06 on 2023 (from 77.95 to 78.02). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.28 and a typical year strayed about 0.16 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), note: Derived from male and female life expectancy at birth from sources such as statistical databases and publ… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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