Share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 in South Africa
South Africa: Share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 was 67.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 in South Africa, 1960–2024
Source: United Nations Population Division (World Population Prospects), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
In 2024, share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 in South Africa stood at 67.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 in South Africa peaked at 69.1% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43.8%, in 2005.
That places South Africa 192nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 49.4% | — |
| 1961 | 50.4% | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 51.1% | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 51.7% | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 52.2% | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 52.5% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 53.0% | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 53.5% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 53.9% | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 54.3% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 54.7% | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 55.2% | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 55.6% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 56.0% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 56.6% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 57.3% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 58.0% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 59.0% | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 59.8% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 60.6% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 61.5% | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 62.3% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 63.1% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 63.9% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 64.7% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 65.5% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 66.1% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 66.5% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 67.2% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 67.4% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 67.3% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 67.3% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 66.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 66.1% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 64.9% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 63.1% | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 61.7% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 59.9% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 58.3% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 56.5% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 54.9% | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 52.0% | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 48.7% | -6.3% |
| 2003 | 46.1% | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 44.6% | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 43.8% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 44.2% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 45.7% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 47.6% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 50.1% | +5.1% |
| 2010 | 52.8% | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 55.8% | +5.6% |
| 2012 | 58.5% | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 60.2% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 61.9% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 63.1% | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 64.3% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 65.4% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 66.2% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 67.1% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 64.2% | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 58.4% | -9.0% |
| 2022 | 67.8% | +16.0% |
| 2023 | 69.1% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 67.7% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52.2% | 49.4% | 54.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.3% | 54.7% | 60.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 64.8% | 61.5% | 67.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.2% | 56.5% | 67.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.8% | 43.8% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.5% | 52.8% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.4% | 58.4% | 69.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 189 Cameroon 68.3% compare
- 190 Guinea-Bissau 68.3% compare
- 191 Congo 68.2% compare
- 193 Equatorial Guinea 67.1% compare
- 194 Madagascar 67.1% compare
- 195 Burundi 66.7% compare
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 in South Africa?
- Share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 in South Africa was 67.7% in 2024, according to United Nations Population Division (World Population Prospects), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 69.1% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.8% in 2005.
- How does South Africa rank for share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65?
- South Africa ranks 192nd out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65 rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Population Division (World Population Prospects), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of men and women expected to survive to the age of 65. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This measure shows the share newborns that would survive to the age of 65 if subject to the current age specific mortality rates.