Ranked: Top 25 Countries With The Highest Life Expectancy

 Ranked: Top 25 Countries With the Highest Life Expectancy

Life expectancy is one of the clearest indicators of any country’s quality of life and overall well-being.

The world’s average life expectancy, estimated to be around 73 years in 2024, has been increasing steadily, up from 66 years in the year 2000. However, some countries stand out for their exceptional longevity.

This infographic highlights the top 25 countries by average life expectancy at birth, while also breaking it down by gender to show the gaps between female and male populations. The data comes from the UN’s World Population Prospects portal.

Where Do People Live the Longest?

The majority of the top 25 countries by life expectancy, a total of 16 countries, are in Europe. The small, rich country of Monaco tops the list with residents living an average of 86.5 years, and women living more than 88 years.

Many of the countries where people live the longest also have high per-capita healthcare spending as they improve access and quality of their healthcare systems.

Close behind Monaco are San Marino (85.8 years) and Hong Kong (85.6 years), both of which offer high standards of living and healthcare systems. Other high-ranked Asian countries include Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, marking a total of four countries from the continent in the top 10.

Additionally, small European countries are prevalent on the list. High-income nations such as Andorra, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Malta, and the Vatican are renowned for their low crime rates and high quality of life.

Meanwhile, Australia is the only country outside of Europe and Asia to crack the top 10, with a life expectancy of 84.1 years.

Do Women Live Longer than Men?

Women outlive men in every country on the top 25 list.

Across all 25 countries, women live an average of 4 years longer than men. The gender life expectancy gap is especially large in places like France (5.6 years), South Korea (6.0 years), and Japan (6.1 years).

This gender gap is largely due to a mix of biological and behavioral factors—newborn boys and youths have higher mortality rates than girls, and women are also less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors as compared to men.