Highest life expectancy
The "Blue Zones" overlap heavily with the top of this list — Hong Kong, Japan, Italy.
Headline finding
Hong Kong leads the world for highest life expectancy at 85.5 years (at birth).
The full top 25: Highest life expectancy
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Hong Kong 85.5
- 2 Japan 84.7
- 3 South Korea 84.4
- 4 Australia 84.0
- 5 Switzerland 83.9
- 6 Singapore 83.8
- 7 Italy 83.6
- 8 Spain 83.5
- 9 Iceland 83.2
- 10 France 83.0
- 11 Norway 83.0
- 12 Sweden 82.8
- 13 Luxembourg 82.7
- 14 Ireland 82.4
- 15 New Zealand 82.5
- 16 Malta 82.4
- 17 Portugal 81.9
- 18 Finland 82.0
- 19 Canada 82.6
- 20 Netherlands 82.0
- 21 Belgium 81.7
- 22 Austria 81.5
- 23 Germany 81.0
- 24 Greece 80.4
- 25 United Kingdom 80.9
What the numbers show
Hong Kong's lead at the top of this ranking is 0.9% above the second-place country — a margin tight enough that the top spot has changed hands within the last five years and could change again.
The five countries leading the table — Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Switzerland — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with United Kingdom anchoring the list at 80.9.
Figures are drawn from World Bank / WHO 2023. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- years (at birth)
- Source
- World Bank / WHO 2023
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for life expectancy?
Hong Kong leads with 85.5 years (at birth). Japan is second at 84.7, with South Korea in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the life expectancy ranking?
The figures come from World Bank / WHO 2023. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the life expectancy figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.