Life expectancy at birth for both sexes, in 1950, 2000, and 2050 (forecasted). All figures come from the UN World Population Prospects 2022.
Life expectancies have grown substantially in every region around the world. Between 1950 and 2000, significant progress was seen especially in Asia and Latin America & the Caribbean.
The UN expects life expectancies to improve in Africa, but they will still lag the rest of the world by 2050. For example, note how Africa’s forecast of 68 years by 2050 is equal to North American life expectancies from 1950.
Region | 1950 | 2000 | 2050F |
---|---|---|---|
North America | 68 | 77 | 84 |
Latin America & the Caribbean | 49 | 71 | 81 |
Europe | 63 | 74 | 84 |
Asia | 42 | 68 | 80 |
Africa | 38 | 53 | 68 |
Australia & Oceania | 61 | 75 | 82 |
UN figures accessed via Statista.
https://population.un.org/wpp/https://www.statista.com/chart/2266/life-expectancy-by-world-region/