In this article, we will be taking a look at the 25 countries with lowest life expectancy in the world. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the top 5 countries with lowest life expectancy in the world.
Global life expectancy in 1960 was just 51 years, and due to the dramatic improvements made by science, medicine and technology, this has increased significantly to 71 years, an improvement of two decades for the average life. While the increase may be more pronounced in developed nations (as can be seen in the countries with the highest life expectancy) mainly because of their superior infrastructure and health care, especially in nations with universal healthcare, almost all countries globally have seen their average life expectancy improve. In addition to better healthcare, an increased focus on diet and exercise added to better availability of facilities have played their part too.
Despite the U.S. also being the most advanced country in the world, it lags well behind many advanced European nations, even though it was on level footing back in the 1980s. However, in 2019, while the life expectancy was 82.6 years in comparable nations, life expectancy in the U.S., which varies significantly state by state, was just 78.8 years, with a major reason behind this being the fact that healthcare insurance is privatized in the U.S., which in turn leads to few being able to afford it, especially those who do not have jobs.
30 countries with lowest life expectancy in the world
However, even 78.8 years is a massive improvement as compared to the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world. It is common knowledge that resources are not distributed equitably across the world and some of the poorest countries in the world will also have a lot in common with nations where life expectancy is the lowest, and unsurprisingly, many such countries have been colonized by richer nations in the past. Further, another issue is that it is always more difficult for poorer nations to invest more in long-term projects as opposed to reducing short-term suffering, considering the fact that their meagre resources are not enough to properly invest in R&D. This is why, of total R&D expenditure in 2017, which was in excess of $1.7 trillion, 10 countries accounted for over 80% of it while sub-Sahara African nations had the lowest contributions, and hence, it's not surprising that African nations have a heavy presence among the nations with the lowest life expectancy in the world.
A lower life expectancy can also have a significant effect on the standards of living being maintained by a nation, and this was mentioned by a study in 2018 which stated " The life expectancy of middle- and older- groups has larger positive impact on GDP per capita than younger group. Meanwhile, the coefficient estimations of life expectancy with respect to the total GDP for three groups present that the life expectancy of the older group has more positive impact on total GDP than other groups." Separately, an additional study from the Lancet stated " Meanwhile according to a study in the Lancet "Longer, healthier lives should be a positive for the economy, and adjusting to longevity offers an opportunity to offset the negative implications of an ageing society. Previous health improvements have been positive for the economy and the task now is to achieve the same outcome for people in their later years. A wide range of policies is needed to achieve this outcome, but ultimately should focus on boosting employment in those aged 50 years or older, increasing education and training at later ages, and tackling health inequalities in ways that exploit the malleability of ageing."
Considering the fact that even though there is a negative economic impact of low life expectancy, and while most of these countries may not be among the fastest growing countries in the world, there is still a lot of potential for investment in these nations. And these investments may pay rich dividends in the future if life expectancy can be improved, which is why it is unsurprising that there are many companies operating in this segment. Altos Labs is one of the top companies in this space, and has received major investments from billionaires including Jeff Bezos and Yuri Milner, with the corporation working on cellular reprogramming technology which is expected to increase life expectancy.
Another similar company in this space is Juvenescence which was valued at over $500 million and creates products and medical devices by incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence. The success of these companies could also help out nations with the lowest life expectancy in the world. Of course, pharmaceutical companies cannot be forgotten in this respect. Medicines to treat diseases which were previously considered untreatable have saved millions of lives across decades and one of the biggest recent successes in this is the malaria vaccine, the first such vaccine in the world for a disease which kills more than half a million people every single year, with the vaccine being developed by GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK) and administered for the first time in 2023.
Methodology
To determine the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world, we headed over to a United Nations report on life expectancy at birth for 2021 and 2020 by country, the latest years on file. We then calculated the rank of each country for each year, and apportioned 70% to its 2021 rank and 30% to 2020, as the latest year is more relevant.
30. Botswana
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 61.1
Even though its considered one of Africa's most stable nations, and one of the biggest producers of diamonds in the world, Botswana is still battling to improve healthcare, which in turn will improve the country's life expectancy.
29. Gambia
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 62.1
Many African countries have a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and Gambia is no exception, with HIV/AIDS resulting in many early deaths in Gambia.
28. Afghanistan
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 62.0
Afghanistan has greatly suffered with violence over the past few decades, with Taliban's brutal rule and American military intervention all resulting in a low life expectancy.
27. Burundi
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 61.7
Food insecurity in Burundi and child malnutrition has contributed to Burundi being counted among the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world.
26. Angola
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 61.6
Despite faring much better than many African countries, the Human Rights Measurement Initiative stated that Angola's healthcare was barely achieving half of what it should've been achieving based on its income.
25. Kenya
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 61.4
While in a much better position than many other African nations, Kenya is still also dealing with a high poverty rate and high child mortality rate, affecting the quality of life in the nation.
24. Niger
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 61.6
Niger was recently the scene of a coup carried out by the country's military, who will have to enact policies to ensure Niger isn't counted among the countries with the least life expectancy in the world.
23. Togo
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 61.6
Togo has added more than 8 years to its average life expectancy in the 21st century and while the life expectancy for females is relatively high, there is a major discrepancy in life expectancy between men and women.
22. Zambia
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 61.2
While Zambia has made significant strides in the standard of living afforded to its residents, but poor hygiene, lack of access to clean water and HIV/AIDS are all still contributing to a low life expectancy in Zambia.
21. Liberia
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 60.7
Liberia has been deeply impacted by violence and war because of which it is still among the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world, but one of the largest steel companies in the world in ArcelorMittal has made significant investments in the country, which is expected to improve the standard of living of the country's residents.
20. Equatorial Guinea
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 60.6
Some of the leading causes for death in Equatorial Guinea are preventable, including HIV/AIDS, pneumonia and influenza, with the government taking steps to eradicate HIV/AIDS by 2030.
19. Cameroon
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 60.3
Even though Cameroon's own residents have been struggling with poverty for decades, conflicts in neighboring countries have brought tens of thousands of refugees to Cameroon, adding a burden to an already struggling economy.
18. Namibia
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 59.3
While improving, Namibia is still among the countries with the lowest life expectancy with the country still dealing with inconsistent healthcare and many Namibians suffering from preventable diseases.
17. Mozambique
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 59.3
Civil strife has been a major issue in Mozambique which has had a devastating impact on the country's economy which has led to two-thirds of Mozambique struggling with poverty, with per capita income less than half of even Angola, which has also emerged from civil conflict.
16. Sierra Leone
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 60.1
Inadequate nutrition, lack of sanitation, air pollution and unsafe water are all contributors to making Sierra Leone one of the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world.
15. Benin
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 59.8
Benin is impacted by many diseases which are considered to be "diseases of poverty" including lower respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases.
14. Guinea-Bissau
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 59.7
Guinea-Bissau has made improvements in its child mortality rate, with the rate being 125 per 1,000 children in 2008 and a decade later, fell to 81.5 per 1,000 children. Malaria has long been one of the leading diseases in the world, and GlaxoSmithKline plc's (NYSE:GSK) vaccine could help dramatically improve life expectancy in the country.
13. Zimbabwe
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 59.3
In 2006, Zimbabwe had the shortest life expectancy of any country when female life expectancy was only 34 years.
12. Burkina Faso
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 59.3
One of the countries with the lowest life expectancy in the world, Burkina Faso's life expectancy in the 1950s was just 30 years, which shows that improvements have been made, though considering the current global life expectancy, it still falls significantly short.
11. Democratic Republic of Congo
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 59.2
DRC is one of the countries with the highest refugees in the U.S., mainly because of decades of conflicts that have resulted in a major refugee crisis, and played a huge role in reducing the life expectancy of the nation.
10. Mali
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 58.9
While Mali has a really high birth rate, its life expectancy rate leaves much to be desired especially because of high infant and child mortality rates.
9. Guinea
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 58.9
Like most countries globally, women in Guinea live longer than men, though in this country, the gap is just one year.
8. Côte d'Ivoire
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 58.6
Côte d'Ivoire has one of the lowest life expectancy rates of any country in the world, mainly because an alarmingly high infant mortality rate, while a lack of quality healthcare has caused major impediments too.
7. Eswatini
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 57.1
In Eswatini, life expectancy has improved by nearly 11 years in the last 2 decades, and while a massive achievement is still well behind where a nation should be today.
6. Somalia
Life expectancy at birth in 2021: 55.3
Somalia's life expectancy actually decreased significantly from 2020 to 2021, and a lack of access to clean water has resulted in the nation facing diseases such as cholera.
