Life expectancy: South Africa
66.1387 years in 2023, the latest year published. Figures for 74 years from 1950 to 2023 are below.
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Source and method · All countries and regions.
Every year
| Year | Value (years) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 66.1387 |
| 2022 | 65.4536 |
| 2021 | 62.0099 |
| 2020 | 65.1502 |
| 2019 | 66.0711 |
| 2018 | 65.726 |
| 2017 | 65.4222 |
| 2016 | 64.7495 |
| 2015 | 64.0532 |
| 2014 | 63.1845 |
| 2013 | 62.3883 |
| 2012 | 61.7366 |
| 2011 | 60.6024 |
| 2010 | 58.8863 |
| 2009 | 57.413 |
| 2008 | 55.9817 |
| 2007 | 54.9477 |
| 2006 | 54.2204 |
| 2005 | 53.9142 |
| 2004 | 53.963 |
| 2003 | 54.2451 |
| 2002 | 55.5795 |
| 2001 | 57.1607 |
| 2000 | 58.3678 |
| 1999 | 59.1895 |
| 1998 | 59.9124 |
| 1997 | 60.538 |
| 1996 | 61.0786 |
| 1995 | 61.6033 |
| 1994 | 62.0693 |
| 1993 | 62.6183 |
| 1992 | 62.839 |
| 1991 | 62.9827 |
| 1990 | 62.9422 |
| 1989 | 63.0168 |
| 1988 | 62.9022 |
| 1987 | 62.6941 |
| 1986 | 62.4212 |
| 1985 | 62.1954 |
| 1984 | 61.8372 |
| 1983 | 61.3926 |
| 1982 | 60.9364 |
| 1981 | 60.4453 |
| 1980 | 59.9605 |
| 1979 | 59.4725 |
| 1978 | 58.9911 |
| 1977 | 58.48 |
| 1976 | 58.0003 |
| 1975 | 57.5906 |
| 1974 | 57.1097 |
| 1973 | 56.7198 |
| 1972 | 56.3767 |
| 1971 | 56.0196 |
| 1970 | 55.6808 |
| 1969 | 55.4399 |
| 1968 | 55.1915 |
| 1967 | 54.9553 |
| 1966 | 54.7315 |
| 1965 | 54.4272 |
| 1964 | 54.2147 |
| 1963 | 53.8947 |
| 1962 | 53.5657 |
| 1961 | 53.0669 |
| 1960 | 52.5751 |
| 1959 | 51.8817 |
| 1958 | 51.1486 |
| 1957 | 50.1955 |
| 1956 | 49.2144 |
| 1955 | 48.1727 |
| 1954 | 47.1192 |
| 1953 | 46.0535 |
| 1952 | 45.0469 |
| 1951 | 44.0558 |
| 1950 | 43.1094 |