Countries with the lowest life expectancy 2021

The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide include the Chad, Nigeria, and Lesotho. As of 2021, people born in Chad could be expected to live only up to 53 years. This is almost 20 years shorter than the global life expectancy.

Life expectancy

The global life expectancy has gradually increased over the past couple decades, rising from 71.01 years in 2011 to 72.98 years in 2019. However, the years 2020 and 2021 saw a decrease in global life expectancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, life expectancy can vary greatly depending on the country and region. For example, all the top 20 countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide are in Africa. The countries with the highest life expectancy include Japan, Liechtenstein, and South Korea.

Causes of death

The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide are all low income or developing countries that lack health care access and treatment that more developed countries can provide. The leading causes of death in these countries therefore differ from those of middle-income and upper-income countries. The leading causes of death in low-income countries include diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, as well as preterm birth complications which do not cause substantial death in higher income countries.