Monaco has the highest life expectancy by country, at 86.5 years at birth in 2024, up from 86.4 in 2023. San Marino follows at 85.8 and Hong Kong at 85.6, with Japan fourth at 84.9 and South Korea fifth at 84.4. The world average is 73.3 years, which puts the leader 13.2 years above it.
The figures are from the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 revision, medium variant, for life expectancy at birth with both sexes combined. Each entry shows its 2024 value with the 2023 estimate beside it. The UN list has 237 entries and includes small states and territories such as Monaco, San Marino and Hong Kong, so the ten places below are not all sovereign countries.
The Top 10 Countries and Territories by Life Expectancy
| # | Country or territory | 2024 (years) | 2023 estimate (years) | Men 2024 | Women 2024 | Women ahead by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monaco | 86.5 | 86.4 | 84.6 | 88.6 | 4.0 |
| 2 | San Marino | 85.8 | 85.7 | 84.3 | 87.2 | 2.9 |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 85.6 | 85.5 | 83.0 | 88.3 | 5.3 |
| 4 | Japan | 84.9 | 84.7 | 81.8 | 87.9 | 6.1 |
| 5 | South Korea | 84.4 | 84.3 | 81.3 | 87.3 | 6.0 |
| 6 | Saint Barthélemy | 84.4 | 84.3 | 81.6 | 86.9 | 5.3 |
| 7 | French Polynesia | 84.2 | 84.1 | 81.9 | 86.6 | 4.7 |
| 8 | Andorra | 84.2 | 84.0 | 82.3 | 86.2 | 3.9 |
| 9 | Switzerland | 84.1 | 84.0 | 82.2 | 85.9 | 3.7 |
| 10 | Australia | 84.1 | 83.9 | 82.3 | 85.8 | 3.5 |
Hong Kong, Saint Barthélemy and French Polynesia are territories that the UN reports on rows of their own. Every one of the ten rose between 2023 and 2024, by 0.1 to 0.2 years, and the order did not change.
Life Expectancy by Country: The Ten Highest Entries, One at a Time
1. Monaco: 86.5 Years, With Women at 88.6
2024: 86.5 years · 2023 estimate: 86.4 years · Men / women: 84.6 / 88.6 · Residents: under 40,000
Monaco’s 86.5 years is 13.2 above the world average of 73.3 and 0.7 above San Marino in second place. The UN lists it as a sovereign microstate, and it led in 2023 as well.
Its women, at 88.6, have the highest figure in the ten. Its men, at 84.6, outlive the overall South Korean figure of 84.4. With so few residents, a handful of deaths in a year can move the number.
2. San Marino: The Smallest Gap Between Men and Women
2024: 85.8 years · 2023 estimate: 85.7 years · Men / women: 84.3 / 87.2 · Residents: about 33,600
San Marino was second in 2023 and is second again, 0.7 years behind Monaco and 0.2 ahead of Hong Kong. The UN lists it as a sovereign microstate.
Women live 2.9 years longer than men here, the narrowest gap in the ten. Its men, at 84.3, are 1.3 years ahead of Hong Kong’s and 2.5 ahead of Japan’s, while its women trail Monaco’s by 1.4.
3. Hong Kong: 7.4 Million People and Women at 88.3
2024: 85.6 years · 2023 estimate: 85.5 years · Men / women: 83.0 / 88.3 · Residents: about 7.4 million
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and the UN gives it a row separate from the mainland. At about 7.4 million people it is by far the biggest of the top three. It rose 0.1 on the 2023 estimate.
Women reach 88.3 and men 83.0, a 5.3-year gap that matches the world gap exactly. Health Facts of Hong Kong reports that 9.1% of people aged 15 and over smoked daily in 2023, 16.4% of men and 2.7% of women.
4. Japan: 84.9 Years Across 123.8 Million People
2024: 84.9 years · 2023 estimate: 84.7 years · Men / women: 81.8 / 87.9 · Residents: about 123.8 million
Japan is fourth, up 0.2 on the 2023 estimate, and third once territories are set aside. It is also the largest population in the ten by a wide margin.
Its 6.1-year gap between women (87.9) and men (81.8) is the widest in the ten. The World Health Organization puts its healthy life expectancy at 73.4 years for 2021, second of 183 countries.
5. South Korea: Women Outlive Men by 6.0 Years
2024: 84.4 years · 2023 estimate: 84.3 years · Men / women: 81.3 / 87.3 · Residents: about 51.7 million
South Korea holds fifth in both years and is fourth among sovereign countries. Its 84.43 sits a hair above Saint Barthélemy’s 84.40, so the two are tied for practical purposes.
Women at 87.3 and men at 81.3 make the second-widest gap in the ten, behind Japan. Healthy life expectancy is 72.5 years, third of 183, and adult obesity is 7.3%.
6. Saint Barthélemy: 11,300 Residents in a French Collectivity
2024: 84.4 years · 2023 estimate: 84.3 years · Men / women: 81.6 / 86.9 · Residents: about 11,300
The UN lists Saint Barthélemy as a French overseas collectivity and keeps it apart from France. It has the smallest population of the ten, and it held sixth place in 2023 too.
Men reach 81.6 and women 86.9, a gap of 5.3 years. Its men are 0.3 years ahead of South Korea’s, though a place this small is best read as a high level rather than a precise position.
7. French Polynesia: 84.2 Years Across the Pacific
2024: 84.2 years · 2023 estimate: 84.1 years · Men / women: 81.9 / 86.6 · Residents: about 281,800
French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity with about 281,800 residents, listed separately by the UN. It rose 0.1 from 84.1 and finishes level with Andorra at 84.2.
Men live 81.9 years and women 86.6, a 4.7-year gap. The men’s figure is 0.1 above Japan’s and 0.6 above South Korea’s.
8. Andorra: Up 0.2 Years in a Single Year
2024: 84.2 years · 2023 estimate: 84.0 years · Men / women: 82.3 / 86.2 · Residents: about 81,900
Andorra gained 0.2 years on the 2023 estimate, matching Japan and Australia for the biggest rise in the ten. The UN lists it as a sovereign microstate, and it stands fifth once territories are removed.
Its men, at 82.3, are level with Australia’s for the third-highest male figure in the ten, after Monaco and San Marino. Women reach 86.2, which leaves a 3.9-year gap.
9. Switzerland: 84.1 Years and a 3.7-Year Gap Between the Sexes
2024: 84.1 years · 2023 estimate: 84.0 years · Men / women: 82.2 / 85.9 · Residents: about 8.9 million
Switzerland is ninth, 0.1 above its 2023 estimate and sixth among sovereign countries. It ranks ahead of Australia by the smallest of margins, 84.09 against 84.07.
Men reach 82.2 and women 85.9. Healthy life expectancy is 71.1 years, seventh of 183, while tobacco use among people aged 15 and over is 23.6% against a world level of 20.3%.
10. Australia: 84.1 Years Across 26.7 Million People
2024: 84.1 years · 2023 estimate: 83.9 years · Men / women: 82.3 / 85.8 · Residents: about 26.7 million
Australia rose 0.2 on the 2023 estimate to finish tenth. The UN’s row for Australia also covers Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island.
Its 3.5-year gap between women (85.8) and men (82.3) is the second-narrowest of the ten. Healthy life expectancy is 70.6 years, thirteenth of 183, and tobacco use is 12.4%.
Gains Since 1950: Japan, the World and the Five Lowest Entries
Japan shows how far a figure can travel. Life expectancy there was 59.3 years in 1950, 79.0 in 1990 and 84.4 in 2019, and it stands at 84.9 now, 25.6 years above where it began. The world figure has risen 8.4 years since 1995, with a pandemic dip from 72.6 in 2019 to 70.9 in 2021 and a return to 72.6 in 2022, 73.2 in 2023 and 73.3 in 2024.
The lowest entries also moved up between 2023 and 2024, by smaller amounts. All five are in sub-Saharan Africa, which averages 62.3 years against 81.6 for high-income countries.
- Nigeria: 54.6 years, up 0.1, and 31.9 years below Monaco.
- Chad: 55.2 years, up 0.1.
- Central African Republic: 57.7 years, up 0.3.
- South Sudan: 57.7 years, up 0.1.
- Lesotho: 57.8 years, up 0.4, the biggest rise of the five.
The Sovereign-Country Top 10, With Territories and Special Regions Removed
Take out Hong Kong, Saint Barthélemy and French Polynesia, the entries the UN reports apart from their parent states, and the ranking changes. Monaco and San Marino stay first and second, and Italy, Singapore and Spain move in.
- Monaco: 86.5 years
- San Marino: 85.8 years
- Japan: 84.9 years
- South Korea: 84.4 years
- Andorra: 84.2 years
- Switzerland: 84.1 years
- Australia: 84.1 years
- Italy: 83.9 years
- Singapore: 83.9 years
- Spain: 83.8 years
Liechtenstein follows at 83.7, then Malta, Norway and France at 83.5 and Sweden at 83.4. Canada is 82.7, the United Kingdom 81.4 and the United States 79.5.
Healthy Life Expectancy: Singapore Leads at 73.6 Years
Healthy life expectancy counts the years a person can expect to live in full health. The latest country figures are for 2021 and cover 183 countries, with a global value of 61.9. Singapore is first at 73.6, ahead of Japan at 73.4, yet it is twelfth in the life expectancy table at 83.9 (81.4 for men, 86.4 for women).
| # | Country | Healthy life expectancy 2021 | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 73.6 | 72.4 | 75.0 |
| 2 | Japan | 73.4 | 71.9 | 74.8 |
| 3 | South Korea | 72.5 | 70.7 | 74.1 |
| 4 | Iceland | 71.4 | 71.4 | 71.3 |
| 5 | Luxembourg | 71.2 | 70.8 | 71.7 |
| 6 | Norway | 71.2 | 71.2 | 71.1 |
| 7 | Switzerland | 71.1 | 70.9 | 71.3 |
| 8 | Sweden | 71.1 | 71.0 | 71.2 |
| 9 | Spain | 71.1 | 70.3 | 71.8 |
| 10 | Israel | 70.8 | 72.1 | 70.1 |
Singapore’s National Population Health Survey 2023 found daily smoking at 8.8% of residents aged 18 to 74, 15.7% of men and 2.3% of women. Its health financing includes MediSave, MediShield Life and MediFund.
Canada ranks 23rd at 69.8, the United Kingdom 27th and China 28th at 68.6, the United States 71st at 63.9 and India 134th at 58.1. Lesotho is last at 44.6. Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and Hong Kong are not in this data, and 2021 was a pandemic year, so these values should not be set against the 2024 table.
What a Newborn’s Expected Lifespan Does and Does Not Tell You
Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a group of newborns would live if they experienced the death rates of every age in a given year for their whole lives. It describes one year of mortality and is not a forecast for babies born that year.
The UN estimates run to 2023, and 2024 is the first year of the medium projection. Gaps under 0.1 year are ties, such as South Korea at 84.43 and Saint Barthélemy at 84.40. Area definitions matter too: Spain includes the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, while China, France and the United Kingdom leave out territories reported on their own rows. The full dataset is on the UN World Population Prospects portal.
Checking a Life Expectancy Figure Before You Quote It
- Match the year. In the top ten a 2024 value and a 2023 estimate differ by 0.1 to 0.2 years.
- Check the coverage. China’s 78.0 excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Province of China.
- Read the men and women columns. A 6.1-year gap in Japan and a 2.9-year gap in San Marino describe different populations.
- Treat microstates as approximate. Monaco, San Marino and Saint Barthélemy have fewer than 40,000 residents each.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which large country has the highest life expectancy?
Japan, at 84.9 years in 2024. Hong Kong at 85.6 is higher, but the UN lists it separately from China. South Korea follows Japan at 84.4.
Do women outlive men in all ten places?
Yes. The gap runs from 2.9 years in San Marino to 6.1 in Japan, against a world gap of 5.3 years (76.0 for women, 70.7 for men).
Where do the United States and India land?
The United States is 63rd of 237 at 79.5 years, 5.4 behind Japan, and India is 153rd at 72.2, 1.1 below the world average. India and China are the two most populous countries, and China stands 78th at 78.0. Neither the United States nor China, both near the top of the largest economies in the world, is in the top ten for life expectancy.
Which country has the longest healthy life expectancy?
Singapore, at 73.6 years in 2021, ahead of Japan at 73.4 and South Korea at 72.5 among 183 countries.
