Countries
A 33-year difference: what separates the longest- and shortest-lived countries
Life expectancy differs by roughly 33 years between the extremes of the WHO dataset — but the gap looks very different once age enters the picture.
8 min read
WHO GHE 2023 · 185 countries
Explore life expectancy across 185 countries
How long populations live, how many of those years are healthy, and what the evidence says shapes both — from published data, with the source shown every time.
Explore life expectancy
Live preview · population estimate
43.6further years on average, band 40–44, Norway
40≈840100
Population statistics, not a prediction of your individual lifespan.
Survival curves
Out of every newborn, how many are still alive at each age?
The highest and lowest life expectancy in the WHO release, with Norway between. Drag the slider to compare an age band.
- Japan
- Norway
- Central African Republic
65–69
- Japan
- 92%
- Norway
- 92%
- Central African Republic
- 37%
Lifespan vs healthspan
Not every year is a healthy year
Norwayfrom birth
70.4 healthy
12.3
age 082.7 · average expected age
Japanfrom birth
72.2 healthy
11.7
age 083.9 · average expected age
Read the curves: a line that stays high for longer means fewer deaths at younger ages. Where the curves are furthest apart, between about 40 and 80, the difference between countries is largest.
How a life table works- The number
Years ahead
Explore life expectancy and the probability of reaching different ages.Open - The quality
Healthspan
Healthy life expectancy (HALE) by country: living longer isn't the same as living healthier.Open - The evidence
What affects longevity
See what the evidence says about exercise, smoking, sleep, fitness and other major factors.Open
Around the world
Longevity around the world
Life expectancy varies across countries. Explore how long people live — and how many of those years are healthy.
- 1Japan83.9yrs
- 2Switzerland83.8yrs
- 3Luxembourg83.6yrs
- 4Republic of Korea83.6yrs
- 5Singapore83.6yrs
- 6Spain83.3yrs
Life expectancy at birth, all sexes, WHO Global Health Estimates 2023.
Full country rankingWhat influences longevity?
Some factors have much stronger evidence than others.
- Physical activityOne of the most consistently studied influences on mortality risk, with a steep benefit at the low end of activity.
- FitnessMeasured fitness is one of the strongest single predictors of mortality risk in the research literature.
- SmokingThe clearest and best-quantified longevity factor in the literature, with strong evidence that stopping reverses much of the risk.
- SleepBoth short and long sleep durations are associated with higher mortality, but the direction of cause is genuinely unclear.
- StrengthGrip strength and muscle-strengthening activity are both associated with lower mortality, with a smaller evidence base than aerobic activity.
- DietDietary patterns are consistently associated with mortality, but individual nutrient claims are far weaker than they sound.
Editorial
Learn more about longevity
- 01
Healthspan vs lifespan
Living longer and staying healthy longer are measured differently, and the gap between them is a real finding.
- 02
Why life expectancy changes as you get older
Once you reach a given age, the people who died younger are no longer part of the group used to calculate your remaining life expectancy.
- 03
Can humans actually extend lifespan?
Population life expectancy has risen dramatically. Evidence for extending the human maximum is much weaker.
From the data
Stories about how long we live
Original analysis and research-backed explanations from the SnapLongevity data.
Healthspan
The healthy-years gap widens as countries live longer
Long-lived populations gain more healthy years than others — and their absolute gap between total years and healthy years also tends to be wider.
Age
At 80, a Nigerian and a Norwegian are far closer than at birth
Nigeria and Norway are nearly two decades apart at birth. Among people who have reached the 80–84 age band, the difference narrows to 1.9 years.
- View all articles →
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