How long you live depends a lot on where you’re born...

Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao illustrates this phenomenon in the above map, which uses 2025 life expectancy at birth projections from the UN World Population Prospects published last year.

Life expectancy at birth measures the average number of years that a newborn could expect to live, if they were subject to the age-specific mortality rates of a given period.

ℹ️ This number visualized is an average between men and women. For extra context, women have higher life expectancies than men in nearly every country in the world.

The micronation of Monaco has the highest average life expectancy in the world. A baby born in the country in 2025 can expect to live to 87 years old.

RankCountryISO CodeAverage life
expectancy at birth,
2025 (in years)1???????? MonacoMCO872???????? San MarinoSMR863???????? Hong KongHKG864???????? JapanJPN855???????? South KoreaKOR856???????? Saint BarthélemyBLM857???????? AndorraAND848???????? French PolynesiaPYF849???????? SwitzerlandCHE8410???????? AustraliaAUS8411???????? ItalyITA8412???????? SingaporeSGP8413???????? SpainESP8414???????? LiechtensteinLIE8415???????? RéunionREU8416???????? GibraltarGIB8417???????? MaltaMLT8418???????? NorwayNOR8419???????? FranceFRA8420???????? SwedenSWE8421???????? GuernseyGGY8422???????? MacaoMAC8323???????? Holy SeeVAT8324???????? UAEARE8325???????? IcelandISL8326???????? MartiniqueMTQ8327???????? CanadaCAN8328???????? IsraelISR8329???????? IrelandIRL8330???????? PortugalPRT8331???????? QatarQAT8332???????? BermudaBMU8333???????? LuxembourgLUX8234???????? NetherlandsNLD8235???????? BelgiumBEL8236???????? GuadeloupeGLP8237???????? New ZealandNZL8238???????? AustriaAUT8239???????? DenmarkDNK8240???????? FinlandFIN8241???????? GreeceGRC8242???????? Puerto RicoPRI8243???????? CyprusCYP8244???????? SloveniaSVN8245???????? GermanyDEU8246???????? UKGBR8247???????? BahrainBHR8248???????? ChileCHL8249???????? MaldivesMDV8250???????? Isle of ManIMN8151???????? Costa RicaCRI8152???????? TaiwanTWN8153???????? KuwaitKWT8154???????? Cayman IslandsCYM8155???????? Saint MartinMAF8156???????? Faroe IslandsFRO8157???????? OmanOMN8058???????? CzechiaCZE8059???????? JerseyJEY8060???????? PanamaPAN8061???????? AlbaniaALB8062???????? AnguillaAIA8063???????? U.S.USA8064???????? Falkland IslandsFLK8065???????? EstoniaEST7966???????? Saudi ArabiaSAU7967???????? Northern Mariana IslandsMNP7968???????? New CaledoniaNCL7969???????? PolandPOL7970???????? CroatiaHRV7971???????? Wallis & Futuna IslandsWLF7972???????? SlovakiaSVK7973???????? UruguayURY7874???????? CubaCUB7875???????? KosovoXKX7876???????? ChinaCHN7877???????? Turks & Caicos IslandsTCA7878???????? Bosnia & HerzegovinaBIH7879???????? JordanJOR7880???????? PeruPER7881???????? ColombiaCOL7882???????? LebanonLBN7883???????? IranIRN7884???????? Antigua and BarbudaATG7885???????? Sri LankaLKA7886???????? TürkiyeTUR7887???????? BonaireBES7888???????? EcuadorECU7889???????? ArgentinaARG7890???????? North MacedoniaMKD7891???????? GuamGUM7892???????? British Virgin IslandsVGB7893???? Polynesia (no emoji available)POL7894???????? MontenegroMNE7795???????? French GuianaGUF7796???????? HungaryHUN7797???????? TokelauTKL7798???????? CuraçaoCUW7799???????? SerbiaSRB77100???????? Saint HelenaSHN77101???????? Saint Pierre & MiquelonSPM77102???????? MalaysiaMYS77103???????? TunisiaTUN77104???????? ThailandTHA77105???????? Sint MaartenSXM77106???????? AlgeriaDZA77107???????? ArubaABW77108???????? BarbadosBRB76109???????? MontserratMSR76110???????? LatviaLVA76111???????? MayotteMYT76112???????? Cabo VerdeCPV76113???????? LithuaniaLTU76114???????? RomaniaROU76115???????? BrazilBRA76116???????? ArmeniaARM76117???????? BulgariaBGR76118???????? U.S. Virgin IslandsVIR76119???????? MoroccoMAR76120???????? Brunei DarussalamBRN76121???????? Cook IslandsCOK76122???????? GrenadaGRD76123???????? MexicoMEX75124???????? MauritiusMUS75125???????? NicaraguaNIC75126???????? BangladeshBGD75127???????? Viet NamVNM75128???????? UkraineUKR75129???????? BahamasBHS75130???????? GeorgiaGEO75131???????? BelarusBLR75132???????? AzerbaijanAZE75133???????? KazakhstanKAZ75134???????? ParaguayPRY74135???????? Dominican RepublicDOM74136???????? BelizeBLZ74137???????? SurinameSUR74138???????? North KoreaPRK74139???????? Trinidad & TobagoTTO74140???????? BhutanBTN74141???????? RussiaRUS74142???????? TongaTON73143???????? HondurasHND73144???????? LibyaLBY73145???????? SeychellesSYC73146???????? American SamoaASM73147???????? PalestinePSE73148???????? Saint LuciaLCA73149???????? SyriaSYR73150???????? GuatemalaGTM73151???????? VenezuelaVEN73152???????? UzbekistanUZB73153???????? IraqIRQ73154???????? El SalvadorSLV73155???????? IndiaIND72156???????? Saint Kitts and NevisKNA72157???????? MongoliaMNG72158???????? TajikistanTJK72159???????? EgyptEGY72160???????? KyrgyzstanKGZ72161???????? SamoaWSM72162???????? VanuatuVUT72163???????? Western SaharaESH72164???????? JamaicaJAM72165???????? Saint Vincent & the GrenadinesVCT72166???????? MoldovaMDA71167???????? DominicaDMA71168???????? IndonesiaIDN71169???????? CambodiaKHM71170???????? NepalNPL71171???????? Solomon IslandsSLB71172???????? GuyanaGUY70173???????? TurkmenistanTKM70174???????? GreenlandGRL70175???????? NiueNIU70176???????? Sao Tome and PrincipeSTP70177???????? PhilippinesPHL70178???????? YemenYEM70179???????? PalauPLW69180???????? LaosLAO69181???????? BotswanaBWA69182???????? SenegalSEN69183???????? EritreaERI69184???????? MauritaniaMRT69185???????? BoliviaBOL69186???????? UgandaUGA69187???????? GabonGAB69188???????? RwandaRWA68189???????? Timor-LesteTLS68190???????? PakistanPAK68191???????? EthiopiaETH68192???????? MalawiMWI68193???????? NamibiaNAM68194???????? FijiFJI68195???????? MicronesiaFSM68196???????? TanzaniaTZA67197???????? TuvaluTUV67198???????? MyanmarMMR67199???????? ComorosCOM67200???????? Marshall IslandsMHL67201???????? KiribatiKIR67202???????? SudanSDN67203???????? ZambiaZMB67204???????? AfghanistanAFG67205???????? South AfricaZAF66206???????? DjiboutiDJI66207???????? Papua New GuineaPNG66208???????? GambiaGMB66209???????? CongoCOG66210???????? GhanaGHA66211???????? HaitiHTI65212???????? AngolaAGO65213???????? Guinea-BissauGNB64214???????? EswatiniSWZ64215???????? CameroonCMR64216???????? Equatorial GuineaGNQ64217???????? MadagascarMDG64218???????? KenyaKEN64219???????? BurundiBDI64220???????? MozambiqueMOZ64221???????? ZimbabweZWE63222???????? TogoTGO63223???????? LiberiaLBR62224???????? NauruNRU62225???????? Côte d'IvoireCIV62226???????? DRCCOD62227???????? Sierra LeoneSLE62228???????? NigerNER62229???????? Burkina FasoBFA61230???????? BeninBEN61231???????? GuineaGIN61232???????? MaliMLI61233???????? SomaliaSOM59234???????? LesothoLSO58235???????? Central African RepublicCAF58236???????? South SudanSSD58237???????? ChadTCD55238???????? NigeriaNGA55

Note: Figures rounded.

Most of the top 10 countries are similarly small-sized territories or countries.

However, Japan (#4), South Korea (#5), and Australia (#10) are the three top-10 countries with the highest life expectancies (84+) when accounting for a population of more than 20 million people.

Regionally, Western European countries have the highest life expectancies at birth. Their counterparts in Eastern Europe are a shade lower.

And despite Japan and South Korea’s performance, most Asians have life expectancies between 70–80 years. Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Papua New Guinea are below the 70-year threshold.

However, several African countries have a below-60 life expectancy, a projected lifespan that is a full 20 years shorter than Western European residents.

Nigeria has the lowest average life expectancy at birth, at 55 years.

Life expectancies are tricky things to fully comprehend: in that they change throughout a person’s lifespan and are measured for entire cohorts born in a year.

For example, in countries with lower projected expectancies, it doesn’t necessarily mean adults don’t live as long.

A high infant mortality rate for a particular cohort of babies born in a year could reduce the projected lifespan of the entire cohort. However once a baby from that year survives to adulthood, they may very well reach their 70s.

In fact, data shows that the biggest difference between life expectancies of Africa and high-income regions are for those before the age of 5 and after 60.

This is because both babies and older adults have a need for specific medical infrastructure which many Africans don’t have access to.

There is a strong correlation between wealth and longer lifespans. Check out Countries with the Highest GDP per Capita in 2024 to see similarities.