How COVID-19 Reshaped Global Life Expectancy Trends

by StatRanker May 1, 2025 1423 123 min read

Life expectancy · WHO · 2019–2021

Global Life Expectancy Fell Sharply During the COVID-19 Pandemic

WHO estimates show a clear break in the long rise in global longevity. Life expectancy at birth fell from 73.12 years in 2019 to 71.37 years in 2021, a decline of 1.75 years in the underlying series. WHO summarizes the change as a 1.8-year fall, returning global life expectancy to roughly its 2012 level.

The country ranking below covers all 183 countries with both 2019 and 2021 values in the WHO Global Health Estimates series. Countries are ranked by 2021 life expectancy at birth, in years, from highest to lowest. The 2019 figure is shown beside each country so readers can see how mortality conditions changed during the first two pandemic years.

All country figures are WHO estimates for historical years; none are forecasts or post-2021 projections. The table is a compiled research dataset based on 2 sources, with row-level source and method notes shown in the ranking table. Both sources are WHO: Global Health Estimates supplies the values, and WHO regional summaries supply the region labels.

Global change, 2019–2021

−1.75 years

73.12 years in 2019 versus 71.37 in 2021; WHO reports the rounded decline as 1.8 years.

Countries with a decline

155 of 183

84.7% of the country series was lower in 2021 than in 2019; 28 countries were higher.

Highest 2021 estimate

84.46 years

Japan ranks first using the unrounded WHO value.

Lowest 2021 estimate

51.48 years

Lesotho ranks 183rd in the same WHO series.

How Much Did Global Life Expectancy Fall During COVID-19?

WHO reports that global life expectancy rose from 66.8 years in 2000 to 73.1 years in 2019. The pandemic then reversed nearly a decade of progress in just two years. By 2021, the global estimate had fallen to about 71.4 years, while healthy life expectancy also moved back to around its 2012 level.

The decline was not evenly distributed. South-East Asia and the Americas recorded the largest regional losses between 2019 and 2021, at about three years each. Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean also experienced substantial declines, Africa a smaller one, and the Western Pacific changed very little.

Americas

77.07201974.112021

Change: −2.96 years.

South-East Asia

71.37201968.372021

Change: −3.01 years.

Europe

78.10201976.292021

Change: −1.81 years.

Eastern Mediterranean

70.18201968.492021

Change: −1.70 years.

Africa

64.17201963.552021

Change: −0.62 years.

Western Pacific

77.49201977.422021

Change: −0.07 years.

WHO's World Health Statistics 2026 adds a broader mortality perspective. The organization estimates 22.1 million excess deaths associated with the pandemic from 2020 through 2023, including deaths caused indirectly by disruption to health and social systems. At the same time, WHO reports that recovery in life expectancy has been incomplete and uneven.

This does not make every country-level change a pure COVID-19 effect. Life expectancy summarizes all-cause mortality conditions in a given year, so conflict, other diseases, demographic change, mortality reporting and revisions to modeled estimates can also influence the difference between 2019 and 2021.

Next: Top 10 Back to overview

Top 10 Countries by Life Expectancy in 2021

Japan remained at the top of the WHO country series in 2021, followed by Singapore and the Republic of Korea. The ranking reflects the level of life expectancy in 2021, not the size of the pandemic-era decline.

Top 10 WHO life expectancy estimates, 2021

Rank	Country	Life expectancy	Source / method note
1	Japan	84.46 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 84.47 years · change: −0.01 years.
2	Singapore	83.86 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 83.90 years · change: −0.04 years.
3	Republic of Korea	83.80 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 83.69 years · change: +0.11 years.
4	Switzerland	83.33 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 83.48 years · change: −0.15 years.
5	Australia	83.10 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.64 years · change: +0.46 years.
6	Norway	82.88 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.66 years · change: +0.22 years.
7	Luxembourg	82.78 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.80 years · change: −0.02 years.
8	Sweden	82.66 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.71 years · change: −0.05 years.
9	Spain	82.66 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 83.14 years · change: −0.47 years.
10	Iceland	82.58 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.47 years · change: +0.11 years.

Ranks use the unrounded 2021 WHO values. The change in each note is calculated as 2021 life expectancy minus the 2019 WHO estimate.

Next: 2021 chart Go to all countries

Top 20 Countries by 2021 Life Expectancy

This chart uses the same metric and ranking direction as the country table: WHO life expectancy at birth in 2021, with higher values ranked first.

Japan

84.46 yrs

Singapore

83.86 yrs

Republic of Korea

83.80 yrs

Switzerland

83.33 yrs

Australia

83.10 yrs

Norway

82.88 yrs

Luxembourg

82.78 yrs

Sweden

82.66 yrs

Spain

82.66 yrs

Iceland

82.58 yrs

New Zealand

82.20 yrs

Italy

82.20 yrs

France

81.92 yrs

Cyprus

81.91 yrs

Malta

81.81 yrs

Israel

81.74 yrs

Ireland

81.60 yrs

Canada

81.58 yrs

Finland

81.53 yrs

Belgium

81.51 yrs

Japan leads at 84.46 years. The Top 20 remains tightly grouped: the twentieth-ranked country is Belgium at 81.51 years.

Next: Pandemic shifts Back to Top 10

Where Life Expectancy Fell Most Between 2019 and 2021

The comparison below subtracts each country's 2019 WHO estimate from its 2021 estimate. It is included to show the scale of the pandemic-era break, but it is not a second official WHO ranking and should not be read as a measure of deaths caused only by COVID-19.

Bolivia (Plurinational State of)

−7.51 yrs

Peru

−6.63 yrs

Saint Lucia

−5.00 yrs

Mexico

−5.00 yrs

Lebanon

−4.94 yrs

Paraguay

−4.81 yrs

South Africa

−4.34 yrs

Jordan

−4.14 yrs

Guatemala

−4.01 yrs

Cuba

−3.99 yrs

Nicaragua

−3.85 yrs

Ecuador

−3.79 yrs

Republic of Moldova

−3.76 yrs

Bulgaria

−3.70 yrs

Botswana

−3.69 yrs

Kuwait

−3.55 yrs

Tunisia

−3.44 yrs

Colombia

−3.42 yrs

India

−3.42 yrs

Suriname

−3.24 yrs

The largest differences in this 183-country comparison are Bolivia (Plurinational State of), −7.51 years, and Peru, −6.63 years. Several countries in the Americas appear near the top of the decline list, consistent with WHO's regional finding that the Americas lost about three years of life expectancy between 2019 and 2021.

Next: Methodology Back to 2021 chart

Methodology

The ranking uses WHO life expectancy at birth for the total population in 2021. Life expectancy at birth summarizes how long a newborn would be expected to live if the mortality rates observed in the reference year applied throughout life. The unit is years, and higher values rank higher.

Years compared

2021 is the ranking year. The 2019 estimate is used as the pre-pandemic baseline for the change shown in each row. No later country value is projected or inferred.

Sources and priority

WHO Global Health Estimates controls every numeric country value and rank. WHO's regional summaries supply the six WHO region labels. World Health Statistics 2024 and 2026 are used only for global and regional interpretation.

Calculation

Rank is based on the unrounded 2021 value in descending order. Change equals the 2021 WHO estimate minus the 2019 WHO estimate. No averaging across sources, interpolation or compound growth calculation is used.

WHO estimates

The country figures are published WHO estimates for historical years. WHO notes that statistical modeling may be needed where mortality registration is incomplete. That is different from creating a forecast for a future year.

Coverage and missing values

The table includes all 183 countries in this extract with both 2019 and 2021 total-population values. Countries without both observations would be excluded rather than imputed; no included row contains a missing baseline or ranking value.

Assumptions and rounding

2019 is treated only as the pre-pandemic reference year. Changes are not attributed entirely to COVID-19. Values are shown to two decimals, while ranks use the full published precision. Conflicting values are not averaged.

What this metric does not measure: healthy life expectancy, excess mortality, reported COVID-19 deaths, health-system quality or the recovery after 2021. Period life expectancy describes mortality conditions in a reference year; it does not predict the exact lifespan of a person born that year.

Next: All countries Back to pandemic shifts

Life Expectancy by Country in 2021: All 183 WHO Entries

The full table lets you compare the 2021 level with the pre-pandemic 2019 estimate. Use the filters to focus on a WHO region, countries that moved up or down, or the largest changes. The ranking itself always refers to the 2021 life expectancy value.

WHO region

Status

2019–2021 change

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WHO life expectancy at birth, total population, 2021

Rank	Country	Life expectancy	Source / method note
1	Japan	84.46 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 84.47 years · change: −0.01 years.
2	Singapore	83.86 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 83.90 years · change: −0.04 years.
3	Republic of Korea	83.80 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 83.69 years · change: +0.11 years.
4	Switzerland	83.33 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 83.48 years · change: −0.15 years.
5	Australia	83.10 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.64 years · change: +0.46 years.
6	Norway	82.88 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.66 years · change: +0.22 years.
7	Luxembourg	82.78 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.80 years · change: −0.02 years.
8	Sweden	82.66 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.71 years · change: −0.05 years.
9	Spain	82.66 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 83.14 years · change: −0.47 years.
10	Iceland	82.58 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.47 years · change: +0.11 years.
11	New Zealand	82.20 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.81 years · change: +0.39 years.
12	Italy	82.20 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.99 years · change: −0.79 years.
13	France	81.92 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.53 years · change: −0.61 years.
14	Cyprus	81.91 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.18 years · change: −0.26 years.
15	Malta	81.81 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.15 years · change: −0.33 years.
16	Israel	81.74 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.57 years · change: −0.83 years.
17	Ireland	81.60 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.94 years · change: −0.34 years.
18	Canada	81.58 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.02 years · change: −0.44 years.
19	Finland	81.53 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.65 years · change: −0.11 years.
20	Belgium	81.51 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.61 years · change: −0.10 years.
21	Denmark	81.18 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.28 years · change: −0.09 years.
22	Portugal	81.18 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.37 years · change: −0.19 years.
23	Netherlands (Kingdom of the)	81.12 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.34 years · change: −1.21 years.
24	Austria	80.99 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.65 years · change: −0.66 years.
25	Germany	80.49 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 80.97 years · change: −0.48 years.
26	Slovenia	80.41 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.29 years · change: −0.87 years.
27	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	80.10 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.22 years · change: −1.12 years.
28	Greece	79.60 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 80.91 years · change: −1.31 years.
29	Chile	79.02 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.03 years · change: −2.00 years.
30	Kuwait	78.95 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 82.50 years · change: −3.55 years.
31	Costa Rica	78.63 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 80.30 years · change: −1.67 years.
32	United Arab Emirates	78.31 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 81.41 years · change: −3.10 years.
33	China	77.62 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.31 years · change: +0.30 years.
34	Panama	77.24 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 78.97 years · change: −1.73 years.
35	Sri Lanka	77.23 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.45 years · change: −0.22 years.
36	Estonia	77.13 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 78.89 years · change: −1.76 years.
37	Czechia	77.08 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 79.14 years · change: −2.06 years.
38	Brunei Darussalam	76.92 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.68 years · change: +0.25 years.
39	Antigua and Barbuda	76.92 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.66 years · change: +1.26 years.
40	Croatia	76.86 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 78.60 years · change: −1.74 years.
41	Barbados	76.84 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.04 years · change: +0.80 years.
42	Qatar	76.71 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 78.90 years · change: −2.19 years.
43	Saudi Arabia	76.43 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.93 years · change: −0.50 years.
44	Albania	76.39 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.94 years · change: −1.55 years.
45	United States of America	76.37 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 78.74 years · change: −2.37 years.
46	Algeria	75.98 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.55 years · change: −0.57 years.
47	Jordan	75.65 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 79.79 years · change: −4.14 years.
48	Poland	75.40 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.73 years · change: −2.33 years.
49	Maldives	75.40 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.45 years · change: −0.05 years.
50	Thailand	75.29 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.92 years · change: −1.63 years.
51	Türkiye	75.27 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.62 years · change: −2.35 years.
52	Nicaragua	75.03 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 78.87 years · change: −3.85 years.
53	Uruguay	74.98 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.01 years · change: −2.03 years.
54	Bhutan	74.88 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.93 years · change: +0.95 years.
55	Bosnia and Herzegovina	74.85 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.10 years · change: −2.25 years.
56	Iran (Islamic Republic of)	74.71 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.78 years · change: −3.07 years.
57	Montenegro	74.71 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.84 years · change: −2.13 years.
58	Argentina	74.57 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.02 years · change: −2.45 years.
59	Colombia	74.53 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.95 years · change: −3.42 years.
60	Slovakia	74.51 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.61 years · change: −3.10 years.
61	Hungary	74.40 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.34 years · change: −1.94 years.
62	Bahrain	74.38 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.03 years · change: −1.65 years.
63	Lebanon	74.34 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 79.29 years · change: −4.94 years.
64	Lithuania	74.13 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.25 years · change: −2.11 years.
65	Tunisia	74.07 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.51 years · change: −3.44 years.
66	Seychelles	74.01 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.12 years · change: +0.89 years.
67	Ecuador	73.96 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.75 years · change: −3.79 years.
68	Viet Nam	73.80 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.71 years · change: +0.09 years.
69	Cuba	73.67 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 77.66 years · change: −3.99 years.
70	Mauritius	73.42 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 74.06 years · change: −0.64 years.
71	Dominican Republic	73.32 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.91 years · change: −0.59 years.
72	Belize	73.32 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 74.87 years · change: −1.55 years.
73	Latvia	73.20 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.68 years · change: −2.48 years.
74	Cabo Verde	73.16 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 74.06 years · change: −0.90 years.
75	Belarus	73.12 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 74.82 years · change: −1.70 years.
76	Bangladesh	73.10 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.95 years · change: −0.85 years.
77	North Macedonia	73.00 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.15 years · change: −3.15 years.
78	Armenia	72.98 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.67 years · change: −2.68 years.
79	Azerbaijan	72.91 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.80 years · change: −2.89 years.
80	Malaysia	72.81 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 74.68 years · change: −1.87 years.
81	Serbia	72.81 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.92 years · change: −3.11 years.
82	Grenada	72.77 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.73 years · change: +0.04 years.
83	Romania	72.76 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.46 years · change: −2.70 years.
84	Tonga	72.72 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.94 years · change: −0.22 years.
85	Democratic People's Republic of Korea	72.64 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.32 years · change: +0.32 years.
86	Morocco	72.62 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.75 years · change: −1.13 years.
87	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	72.56 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.11 years · change: −0.55 years.
88	Oman	72.48 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.29 years · change: −2.81 years.
89	Syrian Arab Republic	72.44 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 69.17 years · change: +3.26 years.
90	Brazil	72.39 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.48 years · change: −3.09 years.
91	Uzbekistan	72.19 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.27 years · change: −0.08 years.
92	Kyrgyzstan	72.19 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.59 years · change: −1.40 years.
93	Libya	72.18 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.54 years · change: −1.37 years.
94	Tajikistan	71.81 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.81 years · change: −2.00 years.
95	Trinidad and Tobago	71.71 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 74.09 years · change: −2.39 years.
96	Peru	71.67 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 78.29 years · change: −6.63 years.
97	El Salvador	71.67 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 74.28 years · change: −2.61 years.
98	Iraq	71.47 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.90 years · change: −1.43 years.
99	Bulgaria	71.31 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.00 years · change: −3.70 years.
100	Georgia	71.24 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.85 years · change: −2.61 years.
101	Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	71.22 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.71 years · change: −1.49 years.
102	Sao Tome and Principe	71.18 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 71.66 years · change: −0.48 years.
103	Saint Lucia	71.11 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 76.12 years · change: −5.00 years.
104	Ukraine	70.91 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.00 years · change: −2.10 years.
105	Mexico	70.83 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.83 years · change: −5.00 years.
106	Bahamas	70.43 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 70.74 years · change: −0.31 years.
107	Kazakhstan	70.28 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.20 years · change: −2.93 years.
108	Samoa	70.27 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 69.99 years · change: +0.28 years.
109	Paraguay	70.27 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 75.08 years · change: −4.81 years.
110	Jamaica	70.14 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.24 years · change: −2.09 years.
111	Mongolia	70.10 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 70.75 years · change: −0.65 years.
112	Nepal	70.05 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 71.36 years · change: −1.31 years.
113	Russian Federation	70.02 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.22 years · change: −3.20 years.
114	Suriname	69.78 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.02 years · change: −3.24 years.
115	Republic of Moldova	69.56 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 73.32 years · change: −3.76 years.
116	Turkmenistan	69.12 years	Europe · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 69.14 years · change: −0.02 years.
117	Egypt	69.11 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 71.59 years · change: −2.48 years.
118	Honduras	68.96 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 71.44 years · change: −2.48 years.
119	Cambodia	68.92 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 69.56 years · change: −0.63 years.
120	Mauritania	68.87 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 70.18 years · change: −1.31 years.
121	Guatemala	68.70 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.71 years · change: −4.01 years.
122	Indonesia	68.26 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 71.40 years · change: −3.14 years.
123	Lao People's Democratic Republic	68.23 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 68.36 years · change: −0.13 years.
124	Timor-Leste	68.00 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 68.50 years · change: −0.50 years.
125	Myanmar	67.85 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 68.81 years · change: −0.96 years.
126	Ethiopia	67.84 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 68.85 years · change: −1.01 years.
127	Senegal	67.79 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 68.76 years · change: −0.97 years.
128	Sudan	67.59 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 69.47 years · change: −1.88 years.
129	Rwanda	67.54 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 67.76 years · change: −0.21 years.
130	Comoros	67.50 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 68.10 years · change: −0.60 years.
131	India	67.31 years	South-East Asia · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 70.73 years · change: −3.42 years.
132	United Republic of Tanzania	66.81 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 66.79 years · change: +0.02 years.
133	Kenya	66.76 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 66.50 years · change: +0.26 years.
134	Philippines	66.41 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 69.43 years · change: −3.02 years.
135	Vanuatu	66.35 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 67.13 years · change: −0.78 years.
136	Ghana	66.10 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 65.97 years · change: +0.13 years.
137	Guyana	66.08 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 68.73 years · change: −2.65 years.
138	Pakistan	65.99 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 67.03 years · change: −1.04 years.
139	Uganda	65.99 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 66.09 years · change: −0.10 years.
140	Yemen	65.76 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 66.90 years · change: −1.14 years.
141	Micronesia (Federated States of)	65.71 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 65.94 years · change: −0.23 years.
142	Fiji	65.50 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 67.87 years · change: −2.37 years.
143	Papua New Guinea	65.49 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 66.67 years · change: −1.19 years.
144	Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	65.41 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 72.92 years · change: −7.51 years.
145	Gabon	65.09 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 64.97 years · change: +0.12 years.
146	Djibouti	64.87 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 65.44 years · change: −0.57 years.
147	Solomon Islands	64.79 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 65.67 years · change: −0.88 years.
148	Gambia	64.21 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 64.91 years · change: −0.70 years.
149	Benin	64.01 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 64.14 years · change: −0.13 years.
150	Burundi	64.01 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 64.32 years · change: −0.31 years.
151	Togo	63.86 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.65 years · change: +0.22 years.
152	Eritrea	63.57 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.76 years · change: −0.19 years.
153	Côte d'Ivoire	63.52 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.48 years · change: +0.03 years.
154	Liberia	63.46 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.44 years · change: +0.02 years.
155	Nigeria	63.40 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.07 years · change: +0.33 years.
156	Congo	63.17 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 62.76 years · change: +0.41 years.
157	Madagascar	62.93 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.82 years · change: −0.88 years.
158	Malawi	62.49 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.23 years · change: −0.74 years.
159	Haiti	62.46 years	Americas · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.66 years · change: −1.20 years.
160	Burkina Faso	62.30 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 62.61 years · change: −0.31 years.
161	Angola	62.13 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 62.49 years · change: −0.36 years.
162	Cameroon	61.77 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 62.03 years · change: −0.26 years.
163	Mali	61.67 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 61.83 years · change: −0.16 years.
164	Democratic Republic of the Congo	61.63 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 61.84 years · change: −0.21 years.
165	Equatorial Guinea	61.61 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 61.39 years · change: +0.22 years.
166	South Africa	61.50 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 65.84 years · change: −4.34 years.
167	Guinea	61.26 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 61.13 years · change: +0.13 years.
168	Botswana	61.23 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 64.92 years · change: −3.69 years.
169	Sierra Leone	61.02 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 60.40 years · change: +0.62 years.
170	Zambia	60.97 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 61.76 years · change: −0.79 years.
171	Kiribati	60.87 years	Western Pacific · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 62.14 years · change: −1.26 years.
172	Namibia	60.36 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 63.49 years · change: −3.13 years.
173	Niger	59.97 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 60.57 years · change: −0.60 years.
174	Afghanistan	59.13 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 61.22 years · change: −2.10 years.
175	Chad	59.09 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 59.37 years · change: −0.29 years.
176	Guinea-Bissau	58.63 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 58.98 years · change: −0.35 years.
177	South Sudan	58.57 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 59.00 years · change: −0.42 years.
178	Zimbabwe	58.48 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 59.07 years · change: −0.59 years.
179	Mozambique	57.66 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 58.51 years · change: −0.84 years.
180	Eswatini	54.59 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 55.75 years · change: −1.15 years.
181	Somalia	53.95 years	Eastern Mediterranean · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 55.21 years · change: −1.26 years.
182	Central African Republic	52.31 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 52.93 years · change: −0.62 years.
183	Lesotho	51.48 years	Africa · WHO GHE official estimate for 2021 · 2019: 51.78 years · change: −0.30 years.

WHO Global Health Estimates supplies the 2019 and 2021 values; WHO regional classifications supply the region labels. The change shown in each row is a calculation from those two historical estimates.

Next: Insights Back to methodology

What the 183-Country Table Shows

Key insight

155 of 183 countries, or 84.7%, have a lower WHO life expectancy estimate in 2021 than in 2019. The decline was therefore widespread even though its scale differed markedly by country.

Notable pattern

The median country value fell from 73.75 years in 2019 to 72.19 in 2021. The median country-level change was −0.88 years.

Regional concentration

Countries from the Americas account for five of the six largest declines in the full comparison: Bolivia, Peru, Saint Lucia, Mexico and Paraguay. This country pattern aligns with the sharp decline in WHO's regional Americas estimate.

Outlier

Not every estimate fell. The Syrian Arab Republic shows the largest positive difference in this extract, at +3.26 years. Because WHO estimates can incorporate modeled mortality inputs, this should not be interpreted as evidence that the pandemic itself improved survival.

Next: What it means Back to all countries

How to Read the Ranking Without Misreading the Pandemic

The global result is clear: COVID-19 coincided with an unusually abrupt reversal in life expectancy after decades of improvement. WHO's 2024 assessment described the 2019-to-2021 fall as the loss of nearly a decade of progress, while the 2026 update says recovery remains incomplete and uneven.

A country's rank and its pandemic-era change answer different questions. A high 2021 rank means life expectancy remained comparatively high in 2021; it does not mean the country avoided a large mortality shock. Spain, for example, remains in the Top 10 even though its 2021 estimate is below its 2019 level.

The reverse also matters. A country near the bottom of the 2021 table may show only a modest two-year decline because its pre-pandemic life expectancy was already low. That is why the page ranks countries by the official 2021 value and treats the 2019-to-2021 difference as supporting context rather than a standalone COVID-19 performance score.

Next: FAQ Back to all countries

FAQ

How much did global life expectancy fall during the first two years of COVID-19?

WHO reports a 1.8-year decline between 2019 and 2021. In the underlying Global Health Estimates values used here, life expectancy falls from 73.12 to 71.37 years.

Which WHO regions lost the most life expectancy?

South-East Asia and the Americas recorded the largest regional declines between 2019 and 2021, at about three years each. The Western Pacific changed by less than one tenth of a year.

Which countries had the largest declines?

In this arithmetic comparison of WHO's 2019 and 2021 estimates, Bolivia (Plurinational State of) and Peru have the largest declines, followed by Saint Lucia and Mexico. These differences are not official COVID-only impact indicators.

Is the country ranking a measure of COVID-19 performance?

No. The ranking orders countries by their 2021 WHO life expectancy estimate. The change from 2019 is shown separately and can reflect multiple causes of mortality as well as revisions or modeled inputs.

Why is 2019 used as the baseline?

2019 is the last full year before the global COVID-19 pandemic, making it a useful reference point for mortality conditions immediately before the shock.

Are the 2021 figures forecasts?

No. They are WHO estimates for a historical year. WHO may use statistical modeling where mortality data are incomplete, but the page does not project a future country value.

What does life expectancy at birth mean?

It is a period measure based on the mortality rates prevailing in a reference year. It summarizes those mortality conditions and is not a prediction of the exact lifespan of a baby born in that year.

What does WHO's 2026 update add?

WHO estimates 22.1 million excess deaths associated with the pandemic from 2020 through 2023, including indirect deaths, and reports that the recovery in life expectancy remains incomplete and uneven.

Next: Sources Back to all countries

Sources

WHO Data — Life expectancy at birth

Primary source for every 2019 and 2021 country value used in the ranking.

https://data.who.int/indicators/i/A21CFC2/90E2E48

WHO regional summaries

Source for assigning countries to the six WHO regions used in the table filter and row notes.

https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/immunization-analysis-and-insights/global-monitoring/data-statistics-and-graphics/regional-summaries

WHO Global Health Estimates — life expectancy and HALE

Indicator methodology and longer-term trend context for life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.

https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-life-expectancy-and-healthy-life-expectancy

World Health Statistics 2024

WHO's assessment of the 2019-to-2021 global decline and the regional differences during the pandemic.

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240094703

WHO 2024 life expectancy update

Published summary of the 1.8-year global decline and the approximately three-year losses in the Americas and South-East Asia.

https://www.who.int/news/item/24-05-2024-covid-19-eliminated-a-decade-of-progress-in-global-level-of-life-expectancy

World Health Statistics 2026

Current WHO context on pandemic-associated excess mortality and the uneven recovery in longevity.

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240122482

WHO 2026 global health gains update

WHO summary reporting 22.1 million pandemic-associated excess deaths for 2020–2023.

https://www.who.int/news/item/13-05-2026-global-health-gains-face-threat-of-reversal

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Global rankings, comparisons, and country datasets — updated snapshots for 2025–2026