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Health and wellbeing ยท ranked by Life expectancy at birth

Countries with the highest life expectancy at birth

50 ranked ยท updated 2026-11-02
Number oneJapan84.46 years
Ranking by Life expectancy at birth
#NameLife expectancy at birthChange
1
Japan
84.46 yearsnew
283.86 yearsnew
383.8 yearsnew
483.33 yearsnew
583.1 yearsnew
682.88 yearsnew
782.78 yearsnew
882.66 yearsnew
982.66 yearsnew
1082.58 yearsnew
Show positions 11โ€“50
1182.2 yearsnew
1282.2 yearsnew
1381.92 yearsnew
1481.91 yearsnew
1581.81 yearsnew
1681.74 yearsnew
1781.6 yearsnew
1881.58 yearsnew
1981.53 yearsnew
2081.51 yearsnew
2181.18 yearsnew
2281.18 yearsnew
2381.12 yearsnew
2480.99 yearsnew
2580.49 yearsnew
2680.41 yearsnew
2780.1 yearsnew
2879.9 yearsnew
2979.6 yearsnew
3079.02 yearsnew
3178.95 yearsnew
3278.63 yearsnew
3378.31 yearsnew
3477.62 yearsnew
3577.24 yearsnew
3677.23 yearsnew
3777.13 yearsnew
3877.08 yearsnew
3976.92 yearsnew
4076.92 yearsnew
4176.86 yearsnew
4276.84 yearsnew
4376.71 yearsnew
4476.43 yearsnew
4576.39 yearsnew
4676.37 yearsnew
4775.98 yearsnew
4875.65 yearsnew
4975.4 yearsnew
5075.4 yearsnew

History

How the top 10 has moved

Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.

History appears once this ranking has at least two published snapshots.

About this ranking

Countries with the highest life expectancy at birth, explained

Countries with the highest life expectancy at birth is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in health and wellbeing by Life expectancy at birth, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-02. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.

Japan currently holds #1 with 84.46 years. Singapore is second with 83.86 years. South Korea completes the top three with 83.8 years. Together the top three account for about 30% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.

How it is measured: The average number of years a newborn is expected to live, both sexes combined. Our World in Data chart "life-expectancy-at-birth-who-gho" (column life_expectancy_at_birth__years__sex_both_sexes); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.

Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.

Frequently asked questions

Who is #1 in Countries with the highest life expectancy at birth?
Japan is #1 with 84.46 years, as of 2026-11-02. Singapore is #2.
How is Countries with the highest life expectancy at birth ranked?
By Life expectancy at birth. The average number of years a newborn is expected to live, both sexes combined. Our World in Data chart "life-expectancy-at-birth-who-gho" (column life_expectancy_at_birth__years__sex_both_sexes); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
How often is this ranking updated?
It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.
Where does the data come from?
Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.