Life Expectancy — World and Countries
Life expectancy is the most widely used single summary of a population's health. The world average stood at 50.9 years in 1960 and reached 73.5 years in 2024: roughly 22.6 years gained over 64 years. Most of that gain came from the decline in infant and child mortality as vaccination, clean water, antibiotics, and maternal and child health services spread.
Turkey advanced faster over the same period, rising from 50.8 to 77.4 years for a gain of 26.6 years and staying above the world average from 1978 onward. Today Turkey is 3.9 years above the world average. The table below lists life expectancy at birth for 57 countries in descending order; Turkey ranks 34th.
Key findings
- The world average rose from 50.9 to 73.5 years between 1960 and 2024, a gain of 22.6 years.
- Turkey climbed from 50.8 to 77.4 years, gaining 26.6 years — 4.0 years more than the world average gained.
- The most recent decline in the series came in 2020 and 2021: the world average fell from 72.9 to 71.2 years, a loss of 1.7 years; the pre-decline level was passed again in 2022.
- Switzerland tops the table with 84.4 years and Nigeria closes it with 54.6 years; the gap between the two is 29.8 years.
- 47 of the 57 countries in the table are above the world average; Turkey ranks 34th with 77.4 years.
Countries — ranked by life expectancy
| Country | Life Expectancy (years) | Difference From World Average (years) | Data Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| İsviçre | 84,4 | +10,9 | 2024 |
| İsveç | 84,1 | +10,6 | 2024 |
| Japonya | 84,0 | +10,5 | 2024 |
| İtalya | 84,0 | +10,5 | 2024 |
| İspanya | 83,9 | +10,4 | 2024 |
| Güney Kore | 83,6 | +10,1 | 2024 |
| İsrail | 83,2 | +9,7 | 2024 |
| Norveç | 83,2 | +9,7 | 2024 |
| Birleşik Arap Emirlikleri | 83,1 | +9,6 | 2024 |
| Avustralya | 83,1 | +9,6 | 2024 |
| Fransa | 83,0 | +9,5 | 2024 |
| Katar | 82,5 | +9,0 | 2024 |
| Portekiz | 82,4 | +8,9 | 2024 |
| Finlandiya | 82,3 | +8,8 | 2024 |
| Belçika | 82,3 | +8,8 | 2024 |
| Danimarka | 82,3 | +8,8 | 2024 |
| Kanada | 82,1 | +8,6 | 2024 |
| Yeni Zelanda | 82,0 | +8,5 | 2024 |
| Avusturya | 82,0 | +8,5 | 2024 |
| Hollanda | 82,0 | +8,5 | 2024 |
Notes
Life expectancy at birth is an estimate that rests on the assumption that a given year's mortality rates stay constant; it is not the realized lifespan of any particular cohort.
The average is strongly affected by infant deaths; in countries where infant mortality is high, the remaining life expectancy of those who reach adulthood is well above the average.
The most recent data year for every country in the table is 2024. Because the source is updated country by country, that year is also shown in its own column.
The table covers the 57 countries included in the automated download; it does not cover every country in the world.
The values in the chart are rounded to one decimal place; the raw source values carry more digits, so very small differences may look equal after rounding.
The world, Turkey, and country series are downloaded again from the World Bank before every build. The data on this page was downloaded on 2026-08-26.
Methodology
Life expectancy at birth is a life-table indicator showing how many years, on average, a baby born in a given year would live if the age-specific mortality rates observed in that year stayed unchanged over its lifetime. The world figure is the population-weighted average of country values and is computed by the World Bank by combining data from the United Nations Population Division with national civil registration systems. The world, Turkey, and country values on this page are downloaded again from the same indicator (SP.DYN.LE00.IN) through the World Bank open data service before every build; no figure is entered by hand. Because the country table uses each country's most recent value, the data year can differ from country to country, and that year is shown in a separate column. The two series in the chart are drawn over their common years, and the values are rounded to one decimal place.