Interactive map · 1950–2023
Life Expectancy Through Time
How long people live, country by country, from 1950 to 2023. Scroll through the decades and see the world catch up.
Data as of 2023
Scroll to explore
1950
The world in 1950
In 1950, Norway, San Marino and Netherlands topped the map. Keep scrolling to move through time.
1990
1990: a different picture
By 1990 the map had already shifted. Watch the colours change as the decades pass.
Top five
The longest lives
Monaco, San Marino and Japan lead the world in 2023: 86.4 years for Monaco. Each square here is sized by its number.
At the other end
The shortest lives
Nigeria, Chad and Lesotho sit at the bottom, with 54.5 years for Nigeria.
In groups
How the world splits
Countries gather into 7 bands, from “Under 45” to “Over 80”. The biggest band holds 53 countries.
Fair shares
Every country, the same size
On a normal map, Russia dwarfs Rwanda. As equal tiles, small countries count just as much — look for the island nations.
Close-up
Monaco
Monaco: 86.4 years. Tap any country for its greeting, rank and profile.
Your turn
Explore freely
Switch views below, hover or tap any country, or jump to another map. Everything stays on this page.
About this map
Life Expectancy Through Time
How long people live, country by country, from 1950 to 2023. Scroll through the decades and see the world catch up.
Data as of 2023 · Sources: Our World in Data — life expectancy
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