The statistic shows the average life expectancy in Africa for those born in 2017, by gender and region. In North Africa, the average life expectancy was 71 years for males and 74 years for females in 2017.
Additional information on life expectancy in Africa
With the exception of North Africa where life expectancy is close to the worldwide average for men and women, life expectancy across all African regions paints a bleak picture. Comparison of life expectancy by continent shows the gap in average life expectancy between Africa and other continent regions. Africa trails Asia, the continent with the second lowest average life expectancy, by 12 years for both males and females.
Moreover, countries from across the African regions dominate the list of countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide. Lesotho, belonging to the region of Southern Africa, had the lowest life expectancy of any country for those born in 2014. However there is reason for hope despite the low life expectancy rates in many African countries. Africa’s Human Development index rating has increased dramatically from 0.375 to 0.498 between 1980 and 2011, demonstrating an improvement in quality of life and as a result greater access to vital services that allow people to live longer lives. One such improvement has been successful efforts to reduce the rate of aids infection and research into combating its effects. The number of new HIV infections in 2000 and 2014 shows that while 2,300 new HIV infections occurred in 2000 the number had dropped to 1,400 in 2014.
