LIFE IN WEEKS

Life Expectancy in South Africa: 62.3 Years in Weeks

The average person in South Africa lives 62.3 years — that's 3,240 weeks. Here's what that looks like, and how you compare.

62.3yrs
3,240 weeks
Average Life Expectancy
59.3yrs
3,084 weeks
Male Life Expectancy
65.2yrs
3,390 weeks
Female Life Expectancy
54yrs
2,808 weeks
Healthy Life Expectancy

Your Weeks Remaining in South Africa

Enter your birth date to see how many of South Africa's 3,240 weeks you've used — and how many may remain.

A Life in South Africa — Visualized

Each square represents one year of a 90-year life. Green = healthy years (54), Amber = remaining life expectancy (8), Gray = beyond average.

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10
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40
50
60
70
80

The average person in South Africa fills 62 of 90 squares. That's 3,240 weeks to fill with purpose.

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Why Do People in South Africa Live Shorter?

South Africa's life expectancy of 62.3 years is 11 years below the global average. Here are the top contributing factors:

Life Expectancy in Africa

How South Africa compares to other countries in Africa, ranked by life expectancy.

CountryLife Exp.Total WeeksRank
South Africa62.3 yrs3,240 wks#137
Tunisia74.1 yrs3,853 wks#68
Morocco73.6 yrs3,827 wks#73
Algeria73.5 yrs3,822 wks#74
Libya73 yrs3,796 wks#80
Cabo Verde71.5 yrs3,718 wks#91
Seychelles70.5 yrs3,666 wks#97
Egypt70.2 yrs3,650 wks#98
Mauritius70 yrs3,640 wks#100
Sao Tome and Principe68.8 yrs3,578 wks#107
Rwanda68.3 yrs3,552 wks#109
Senegal67 yrs3,484 wks#116
Eritrea66.5 yrs3,458 wks#118
Ethiopia66.2 yrs3,442 wks#119
Ghana65.6 yrs3,411 wks#122
Madagascar65.5 yrs3,406 wks#123
Comoros65.3 yrs3,396 wks#124
Togo65.1 yrs3,385 wks#125
Djibouti64.3 yrs3,344 wks#128
Tanzania63.6 yrs3,307 wks#131
Benin63.4 yrs3,297 wks#132
Sudan63.2 yrs3,286 wks#133
Zambia63 yrs3,276 wks#134
Uganda62.7 yrs3,260 wks#135
Mauritania62.5 yrs3,250 wks#136
Gambia62.1 yrs3,229 wks#138
Malawi61.8 yrs3,214 wks#139
Burkina Faso61.6 yrs3,203 wks#140
Kenya61.4 yrs3,193 wks#141
Mozambique61.2 yrs3,182 wks#142
Gabon61 yrs3,172 wks#143
Angola60.2 yrs3,130 wks#146
Ivory Coast60 yrs3,120 wks#147
Congo59.8 yrs3,110 wks#148
Namibia59.5 yrs3,094 wks#149
Cameroon59.3 yrs3,084 wks#150
Zimbabwe59.1 yrs3,073 wks#151
Liberia58.8 yrs3,058 wks#152
Niger58.4 yrs3,037 wks#154
Botswana58.2 yrs3,026 wks#155
Equatorial Guinea58 yrs3,016 wks#156
Guinea-Bissau57.8 yrs3,006 wks#157
Eswatini57.5 yrs2,990 wks#158
Mali56.5 yrs2,938 wks#162
Sierra Leone56.3 yrs2,928 wks#163
Guinea56.1 yrs2,917 wks#164
Burundi55.8 yrs2,902 wks#165
South Sudan55.5 yrs2,886 wks#166
Somalia55 yrs2,860 wks#168
Central African Republic54.4 yrs2,829 wks#169
Lesotho54 yrs2,808 wks#170
Nigeria53.9 yrs2,803 wks#171
Chad53.2 yrs2,766 wks#172

How South Africa Compares to the World

#137
Global Rank
(of 172 countries)
-11
Years below
global avg (70.8 yrs)
3,240
Total Weeks
in an average life

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the life expectancy in South Africa?

The average life expectancy in South Africa is 62.3 years as of 2026. This places South Africa at rank #137 globally, which is 11 years below the global average of 70.8 years.

How many weeks does the average person in South Africa live?

Based on a life expectancy of 62.3 years, the average person in South Africa lives approximately 3,240 weeks. That's 3,240 opportunities to make each week count.

What is the life expectancy for males and females in South Africa?

In South Africa, males have an average life expectancy of 59.3 years (3,084 weeks), while females live an average of 65.2 years (3,390 weeks). The gender gap is 5.9 years.

How does South Africa compare to the global average life expectancy?

South Africa's life expectancy of 62.3 years is 11 years below the global average of approximately 70.8 years. South Africa ranks #137 out of 172 countries in our dataset.

Your Life in South Africa Spans 3,240 Weeks

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