Longevity statistics show how long people live, how many years are lived in good health, and how outcomes differ by sex, income group and geography. The measures below distinguish period life expectancy from healthy life expectancy and identify the relevant year and population.
Key Longevity Statistics
The most useful headline figures span global trends, healthy years, inequality and recent national data:
- In 2019, global life expectancy at birth was 73.1 years for both sexes.
- Between 2000 and 2019, global life expectancy at birth gained 6.3 years worldwide.
- In 2019, global healthy life expectancy at birth was 63.5 years.
- Between 2000 and 2019, global healthy life expectancy gained 5.4 years worldwide.
- In 2019, female global life expectancy at birth was 75.7 years.
- In 2019, male global life expectancy at birth was 70.6 years.
- In 2019, global life expectancy at age 60 was 21.1 additional years.
- In 2019, global healthy life expectancy at age 60 was 15.7 additional healthy years.
- In 2019, life expectancy was 65.1 years in low-income countries.
- In 2019, life expectancy was 80.9 years in high-income countries.
- From 2000 to 2020, under-five mortality in low-income countries fell from 145.2 to 66.0 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- From 2019 to 2021, global life expectancy fell from 73.1 to 71.4 years.
- In 2023, U.S. life expectancy at birth was 78.4 years.
- In 2023, U.S. life expectancy at age 65 was 19.5 additional years.
- In 2023, EU life expectancy at birth was 81.4 years.
- In 2023, Spain had EU life expectancy of 84.0 years.
- In 2021–2023, UK life expectancy was 78.8 years for males and 82.8 years for females.
Contents
- Global longevity trends since 2000
- Longevity by sex, age and healthy years
- Income-group longevity data and inequality
- COVID-19 disruption and recovery
- U.S. longevity statistics
- European and UK longevity comparisons
Global Longevity Trends Since 2000
The World Health Organization’s revised estimates show substantial global progress before the pandemic. Global life expectancy at birth rose from 66.8 years in 2000 to 73.1 years in 2019 for both sexes, a gain of 6.3 years.
Global healthy life expectancy, or HALE, rose from 58.1 years in 2000 to 63.5 years in 2019. That is a gain of 5.4 years, although HALE is an estimated health-adjusted measure rather than years free of every illness.
| Global measure | 2000 | 2019 | Change or definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 66.8 years | 73.1 years | 6.3 years gained |
| HALE at birth | 58.1 years | 63.5 years | 5.4 years gained |
| Life expectancy at age 60 | 18.8 additional years | 21.1 additional years | 2.3 years gained |
| HALE at age 60 | Not reported here | 15.7 additional healthy years | 1.7 years gained from 2000 to 2019 |
Source: World health statistics 2025. The figures are WHO estimates, and period life expectancy uses current age-specific mortality rates; it is not a prediction for a particular birth cohort.
A separate WHO 2022 series reported 73.3 years of global life expectancy and 63.7 years of global HALE in 2019. That earlier release should not be mixed casually with the revised WHO 2025 series.
Longevity Statistics by Sex, Age and Healthy Years
Sex-specific global estimates show gains for both males and females from 2000 to 2019. Female life expectancy rose from 69.2 to 75.7 years, while male life expectancy rose from 64.4 to 70.6 years.
| Global population | Life expectancy, 2000 | Life expectancy, 2019 | HALE, 2000 | HALE, 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 64.4 years | 70.6 years | 57.0 years | 62.3 years |
| Females | 69.2 years | 75.7 years | 59.3 years | 64.6 years |
Source: World health statistics 2025. In 2019, women’s global life expectancy exceeded men’s by 5.1 years, while women’s HALE exceeded men’s by 2.3 years.
Age-specific measures answer a different question from life expectancy at birth. In 2019, a 60-year-old had an estimated 21.1 additional years of life globally, including 15.7 additional healthy years according to HALE; these are conditional period estimates, not guarantees for an individual.
Income-Group Longevity Data and the Global Inequality Gap
Longevity remains strongly unequal across World Bank income groups. In 2019, life expectancy was 65.1 years in low-income countries compared with 80.9 years in high-income countries, a 15.8-year gap between the group averages.
| World Bank income group, 2019 | Life expectancy | HALE |
|---|---|---|
| Low-income countries | 65.1 years | 56.7 years |
| High-income countries | 80.9 years | 69.8 years |
| Difference | 15.8 years | 13.1 years |
Source: World health statistics 2022. These are population-weighted income-group aggregates, not values for every country or individual, and the HALE gap compares health-adjusted group averages.
Low-income countries nevertheless recorded large improvements. WHO described life expectancy as increasing by more than 11 years and HALE by almost 10 years between 2000 and 2019, without specifying exact gains in the cited report text.
Under-five mortality provides related context but is not the same measure as life expectancy. In low-income countries, it fell from 145.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 66.0 in 2020, a reported reduction of 55%.
COVID-19 Disruption and Recovery in Longevity Data
The pandemic interrupted the pre-2020 trend. WHO estimates put global life expectancy at 72.5 years in 2020 and 71.4 years in 2021, after a fall of 0.7 years in 2020 from the 2019 level and a further fall of 1.1 years in 2021.
Global HALE was estimated at 62.8 years in 2020, about the 2016 level, and 61.9 years in 2021, about the 2012 level. WHO’s 2023 global HALE estimate was 62.8 years, 0.4 years below its 2019 pre-pandemic level.
| Measure | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2023 note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global life expectancy | 73.1 years | 72.5 years | 71.4 years | — |
| Global HALE | 63.5 years | 62.8 years | 61.9 years | 62.8 years in 2023 |
Source: World health statistics 2025. Pandemic-era estimates and revised health-adjusted methods may be revised and are not directly comparable with every earlier published series.
The European Union shows a later recovery pattern in the Eurostat series: life expectancy was 80.4 years in 2020 and 80.1 years in 2021, then recovered to 80.6 years in 2022 and 81.4 years in 2023.
U.S. Longevity Statistics from National Vital Records
Final U.S. National Vital Statistics System data show life expectancy at birth of 78.4 years in 2023, up 0.9 year from 77.5 years in 2022. The 2023 estimate was 75.8 years for males and 81.1 years for females, a 5.3-year female–male gap.
| U.S. measure | Total | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth, 2023 | 78.4 years | 75.8 years | 81.1 years |
| Additional life expectancy at age 65, 2023 | 19.5 years | 18.2 years | 20.7 years |
Source: NCHS Data Brief No. 521: Mortality in the United States, 2023. These are final 2023 life-table estimates for U.S. residents; age-65 values are conditional period estimates, not expected remaining years for a particular cohort.
The age-65 figures show why longevity reporting should state the age basis. In 2023, U.S. females at age 65 had 20.7 additional years in the period estimate, compared with 18.2 additional years for males.
European and UK Longevity Comparisons
Eurostat estimated EU life expectancy at birth at 81.4 years in 2023. Spain recorded the highest country figure among the listed EU comparisons at 84.0 years, followed by Italy at 83.8 years; Bulgaria was at 75.8 years and Latvia at 75.9 years.
| EU comparison, 2023 | Life expectancy at birth |
|---|---|
| European Union | 81.4 years |
| Spain | 84.0 years |
| Italy | 83.8 years |
| Latvia | 75.9 years |
| Bulgaria | 75.8 years |
EU women’s life expectancy was 84.0 years and men’s was 78.7 years, producing a 5.3-year gap. Latvia had the largest female–male gap at 10.1 years, while the Netherlands had the smallest at 3.0 years.
Source: EU life expectancy hits 81.4 years, exceeding pre-COVID level. The 2023 country figures are period estimates, and some releases identify them as provisional or subject to revision.
The UK Office for National Statistics reported 2021–2023 life expectancy of 78.8 years for males and 82.8 years for females. At age 65, the corresponding figures were 18.5 and 21.0 additional years.
| UK geography, 2021–2023 | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom, birth | 78.8 years | 82.8 years |
| England and Wales, birth | 79.0 years | 83.0 years |
| England, birth | 79.1 years | 83.0 years |
| Wales, birth | 78.1 years | 82.0 years |
| Scotland, birth | 76.8 years | 80.8 years |
Source: National life tables – life expectancy in the UK: 2021 to 2023. The England and Wales row is not a whole-UK figure, and the Scotland comparison is among Great Britain’s constituent countries.
Regional variation also appears within England. In 2021–2023, male life expectancy in the South East was 3.0 years higher than in the North East, while female life expectancy in London was 2.7 years higher than in the North East; these are period comparisons, not causal estimates of geography.