Monaco has the highest life expectancy by country in 2026, at 86.5 years at birth, ahead of San Marino at 85.8 and Hong Kong at 85.6. Japan is fourth at 84.9 years and South Korea fifth at 84.4, while the world average is 73.3 years. Here are the top 15 entries, with the male and female split for each leader.
The table uses the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 revision, medium variant, for life expectancy at birth with both sexes combined. It shows 2024 values with the 2023 estimate beside them. The UN list covers 237 countries and areas, which puts small states and territories such as Monaco, San Marino and Hong Kong next to large nations like Japan.
The 15 Countries and Territories With the Highest Life Expectancy
| # | Country or territory | 2024 (years) | 2023 estimate (years) | Male / female 2024 | Type of entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monaco | 86.5 | 86.4 | 84.6 / 88.6 | Microstate |
| 2 | San Marino | 85.8 | 85.7 | 84.3 / 87.2 | Microstate |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 85.6 | 85.5 | 83.0 / 88.3 | Special administrative region of China |
| 4 | Japan | 84.9 | 84.7 | 81.8 / 87.9 | Country |
| 5 | South Korea | 84.4 | 84.3 | 81.3 / 87.3 | Country |
| 6 | Saint Barthélemy | 84.4 | 84.3 | 81.6 / 86.9 | French overseas collectivity |
| 7 | French Polynesia | 84.2 | 84.1 | 81.9 / 86.6 | French overseas collectivity |
| 8 | Andorra | 84.2 | 84.0 | 82.3 / 86.2 | Microstate |
| 9 | Switzerland | 84.1 | 84.0 | 82.2 / 85.9 | Country |
| 10 | Australia | 84.1 | 83.9 | 82.3 / 85.8 | Country |
| 11 | Italy | 83.9 | 83.7 | 81.8 / 85.9 | Country |
| 12 | Singapore | 83.9 | 83.7 | 81.4 / 86.4 | Country |
| 13 | Spain | 83.8 | 83.7 | 81.1 / 86.4 | Country |
| 14 | Liechtenstein | 83.7 | 83.6 | 82.0 / 85.4 | Microstate |
| 15 | Réunion | 83.7 | 83.5 | 80.7 / 86.4 | French overseas department |
The UN list includes small states and territories, not only sovereign countries. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and Saint Barthélemy, French Polynesia and Réunion are French overseas areas, each reported on its own row. Monaco, San Marino and Liechtenstein have fewer than 40,000 residents each, so a few extra deaths in a year can move the figure.
Removing the territories that the UN reports separately changes the order. Monaco and San Marino stay first and second, then Japan is third, South Korea fourth, Andorra fifth, Switzerland sixth, Australia seventh, Italy eighth, Singapore ninth and Spain tenth.
Life Expectancy by Country, Ranked
1. Monaco: 86.5 Years, the Highest of 237 UN Entries
2024: 86.5 years · 2023 estimate: 86.4 years · Male / female: 84.6 / 88.6 · Female advantage: 4.0 years
Monaco’s 86.5 years is 13.2 years above the world average of 73.3. It is 0.7 years ahead of San Marino, the widest step in the top five, matched only by the drop from Hong Kong to Japan.
Monaco’s men alone, at 84.6, outlive the overall average of South Korea at 84.4. The UN counts Monaco as a sovereign microstate with fewer than 40,000 residents, so the lead is best read as very high rather than precise.
2. San Marino: The Narrowest Male and Female Gap in the Top Ten
2024: 85.8 years · 2023 estimate: 85.7 years · Male / female: 84.3 / 87.2 · Female advantage: 2.9 years
San Marino holds second place in both 2023 and 2024, 0.2 years ahead of Hong Kong. Its population is about 33,600.
Its men, at 84.3, outlive the men of every other place in the table except Monaco, beating Hong Kong’s men by 1.3 years and Japan’s by 2.5.
3. Hong Kong: Women Reach 88.3 Years
2024: 85.6 years · 2023 estimate: 85.5 years · Male / female: 83.0 / 88.3 · Female advantage: 5.3 years
Hong Kong is third, up 0.1 from 2023, and by far the largest population among the top three at about 7.4 million. The UN reports it apart from China, whose row excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Province of China.
Its women, at 88.3, trail only Monaco’s 88.6 in the table. The Department of Health reports 9.1% of people aged 15 and over smoked daily in 2023, and health spending of 8.3% of GDP in 2023/24, of which 51.8% was public.
4. Japan: Up From 59.3 Years in 1950 to 84.9 Years
2024: 84.9 years · 2023 estimate: 84.7 years · Male / female: 81.8 / 87.9 · Female advantage: 6.1 years
Japan is the highest-ranked large country, with about 123.8 million people. Its figure was 59.3 years in 1950, 79.0 in 1990 and 84.4 in 2019, a gain of 25.6 years from 1950 to 2024.
The 6.1-year gap between women (87.9) and men (81.8) is the widest in the top five. On the World Health Organization’s 2021 healthy life expectancy ranking, Japan is second of 183 at 73.4 years.
5. South Korea: Fifth, Level With Saint Barthélemy
2024: 84.4 years · 2023 estimate: 84.3 years · Male / female: 81.3 / 87.3 · Female advantage: 6.0 years
South Korea’s 84.4 years is separated from sixth-placed Saint Barthélemy by about 0.03 years (84.43 against 84.40), a tie in practice.
Women (87.3) outlive men (81.3) by 6.0 years, nearly Japan’s gap. South Korea is third of 183 on healthy life expectancy at 72.5 years in 2021.
6. Saint Barthélemy: A French Collectivity of About 11,300 People
2024: 84.4 years · 2023 estimate: 84.3 years · Male / female: 81.6 / 86.9 · Female advantage: 5.3 years
Saint Barthélemy is sixth at 84.4 years, level with South Korea once rounded, and it was sixth in 2023 as well.
The UN lists it as a French overseas collectivity and keeps it apart from France. It is the smallest population in the table, so its figure is best read as a rough level rather than an exact rank.
7. French Polynesia: Men Live 81.9 Years
2024: 84.2 years · 2023 estimate: 84.1 years · Male / female: 81.9 / 86.6 · Female advantage: 4.7 years
French Polynesia is seventh at 84.2 years, level with Andorra. Its population is about 282,000.
Its men outlive the men of Japan (81.8), South Korea (81.3) and Saint Barthélemy (81.6).
8. Andorra: Fifth Among Sovereign Countries
2024: 84.2 years · 2023 estimate: 84.0 years · Male / female: 82.3 / 86.2 · Female advantage: 3.9 years
Andorra is eighth, up 0.2 from 2023, and fifth among sovereign states once territories are removed. The UN lists it as a sovereign microstate, with a population of about 81,900.
Its men, at 82.3, are level with Australia’s for the third-highest male figure in the table, behind only Monaco and San Marino.
9. Switzerland: 84.1 Years, Level With Australia
2024: 84.1 years · 2023 estimate: 84.0 years · Male / female: 82.2 / 85.9 · Female advantage: 3.7 years
Switzerland is ninth and sixth among sovereign states, separated from Australia by 84.09 against 84.07. Its 3.7-year gap between women (85.9) and men (82.2) is 2.4 years narrower than Japan’s, for about 8.9 million people.
It is seventh of 183 on healthy life expectancy at 71.1 years in 2021. Tobacco use among people aged 15 and over is 23.6%, above the world level of 20.3%.
10. Australia: Up 0.2 Years in One Year
2024: 84.1 years · 2023 estimate: 83.9 years · Male / female: 82.3 / 85.8 · Female advantage: 3.5 years
Australia’s 84.1 years is up 0.2 on the 2023 estimate, for about 26.7 million people. The UN’s row includes 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, after San Marino. It is thirteenth of 183 on healthy life expectancy at 70.6 years in 2021.
Where the US, UK, Canada, India and China Land Against the World Average
The world average is 73.3 years in 2024, made up of 70.7 for men and 76.0 for women. It is up 8.4 years since 1995 and projected to reach about 77.4 by 2054. The pandemic left a dip, from 72.6 in 2019 to 70.9 in 2021.
- Canada: 82.7 years, 28th of 237 (80.5 men, 84.9 women), 9.4 years above the world average.
- United Kingdom: 81.4 years, 46th (79.5 men, 83.3 women), 8.1 years above. The row excludes overseas territories such as Gibraltar.
- United States: 79.5 years, 63rd (77.0 men, 82.0 women), 6.2 years above.
- China: 78.0 years, 78th (75.2 men, 81.0 women), 4.7 years above. The row covers the mainland only.
- India: 72.2 years, 153rd (70.7 men, 73.9 women), 1.1 years below the world average.
Measured against Japan’s 84.9, Canada is 2.2 years behind, the United Kingdom 3.5, the United States 5.4, China 6.9 and India 12.7. The United States and China, both among the largest economies in the world, sit well below the leaders. China and India are also among the most populous countries. For a state-level view of US health, see the healthiest states in the US.
The Bottom Five: Where Life Expectancy Is Still Below 58 Years
All five of the shortest-lived entries are in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that averages 62.3 years. Nigeria is last of 237 at 54.6, which is 31.9 years below Monaco and 18.7 below the world average. High-income countries average 81.6.
- Nigeria: 54.6 years (54.3 men, 54.9 women), the only one of the five with a gap under a year.
- Chad: 55.2 years (53.4 men, 57.2 women).
- Central African Republic: 57.7 years (55.5 men, 59.6 women).
- South Sudan: 57.7 years (54.8 men, 60.7 women).
- Lesotho: 57.8 years (55.0 men, 60.4 women).
What Explains the Highest Life Expectancies
Japan has the strongest evidence behind its figure. A 2011 analysis in The Lancet traced a rapid fall in deaths from infectious disease in the 1950s and 1960s, then a large fall in stroke deaths, then preventive measures and advanced medical technology delivered through universal insurance, with smaller health inequalities from equal educational opportunity and financial access to care.
Diet adds to that picture. In 79,594 Japanese adults aged 45 to 75 followed for a median of 15 years, those closest to the national food guide had 15% lower total mortality (hazard ratio 0.85). It is an observational study, so it shows a link rather than proof.
Smoking is not the common thread. Tobacco use among people aged 15 and over in 2022 was 23.6% in Switzerland, 28.1% in Spain and 22.7% in Italy, all above the world level of 20.3%, against 18.5% in Japan. Adult obesity is 5.5% in Japan, 7.3% in South Korea and 13.9% in Singapore, against 26.8% in the United Kingdom and 42.0% in the United States.
Health coverage alone does not order the table: the World Health Organization’s service coverage index scores 88 for Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States alike. In Hong Kong, 97.9% of people aged 15 and over eat fewer than five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
Healthy Life Expectancy: Singapore Leads on Years in Full Health
Healthy life expectancy is the average 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 years. Singapore is first at 73.6, then Japan at 73.4, South Korea at 72.5 and Iceland at 71.4.
Canada ranks 23rd at 69.8, the United Kingdom 27th at 68.6, China 28th at 68.6, the United States 71st at 63.9 and India 134th at 58.1. Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Hong Kong and Macao are not in this data.
What Life Expectancy at Birth Actually Measures
Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a hypothetical group of newborns would live if they experienced the death rates of each age in a given year for their whole lives. It is a snapshot of one year’s mortality, not a forecast for babies born that year.
The estimates run to 2023, and 2024 is the first year of the medium projection. Differences under 0.1 year are ties, and area definitions matter: Spain’s row includes the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, while China, France and the United Kingdom leave out territories reported separately. The full dataset is on the UN World Population Prospects site.
How to Compare Life Expectancy Figures Between Countries Without Being Misled
- Match the year. A 2024 value and a 2023 estimate differ by 0.1 to 0.2 years in the top ten, enough to swap places.
- Check what the row covers. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Province of China sit outside China’s 78.0.
- Use the male and female columns. A 6.1-year gap in Japan and a 2.9-year gap in San Marino describe different populations.
- Keep healthy life expectancy separate. The 2021 values come from a pandemic year, so do not subtract them from the 2024 table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the highest life expectancy?
Monaco, at 86.5 years in 2024, the highest of 237 countries and areas. Hong Kong is next among larger entries at 85.6, and Japan follows at 84.9.
What is the average global life expectancy?
73.3 years in 2024, made up of 70.7 for men and 76.0 for women, up 8.4 years since 1995.
What is life expectancy in the US, UK, Canada, India and China?
The United States is 79.5 years (63rd of 237), the United Kingdom 81.4 (46th), Canada 82.7 (28th), India 72.2 (153rd) and China 78.0 (78th, mainland only).
Which country has the lowest life expectancy?
Nigeria, at 54.6 years in 2024, followed by Chad at 55.2, the Central African Republic and South Sudan at 57.7 and Lesotho at 57.8.
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