Data for 1978

Life Expectancy at Birth, 1978

Name: Life Expectancy at Birth, 1978
Creator: UN DESA Population Division
License: https://population.un.org/wpp/downloads

Figures for 1978, as UN DESA Population Division published them · stored as published, never rewritten

Life Expectancy at Birth, 1978 covers 222 countries. Andorra is highest, at 76.488; Cambodia is lowest, at 11.573. The middle country reads 64.509. Against 1977, 222 values changed (193 up, 29 down), the same countries are covered.

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Life Expectancy at Birth · Data for 1978

HighestAndorra

76.488

LowestCambodia

11.573

Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the better end.

222countries
1measure
1978the year it describes
222distinct values4 decimals, as published
Sep 26, 2026read from the publisher
CC BY 3.0 IGOlicence

01Position · derived

The table

Every country and every column of Life Expectancy at Birth, 1978, as published. UN DESA Population Division ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. “=” marks a shared position.

Search this table

Showing 25 of 222 countries · select a heading to sort

Life Expectancy at Birth, 1978: every country, as published by UN DESA Population Division.
derived
1	Andorra`AND`Southern Europe	76.488
2	Iceland`ISL`Northern Europe	76.378
3	San Marino`SMR`Southern Europe	75.889
4	Japan`JPN`Eastern Asia	75.657
5	Faroe Islands`FRO`Northern Europe	75.615
6	Sweden`SWE`Northern Europe	75.484
7	Norway`NOR`Northern Europe	75.426
8	Switzerland`CHE`Western Europe	75.308
9	Netherlands`NLD`Western Europe	75.174
10	Liechtenstein`LIE`Western Europe	74.713
11	Monaco`MCO`Western Europe	74.656
12	Spain`ESP`Southern Europe	74.496
13	Canada`CAN`Northern America	74.482
14	Greece`GRC`Southern Europe	74.441
15	Denmark`DNK`Northern Europe	74.426
16	France`FRA`Western Europe	73.845
17	Italy`ITA`Southern Europe	73.776
18	Australia`AUS`Australia and New Zealand	73.740
19	Vatican City`VAT`Southern Europe	73.739
20	Hong Kong`HKG`Eastern Asia	73.577
21	Gibraltar`GIB`Southern Europe	73.512
22	United States`USA`Northern America	73.409
23	Finland`FIN`Northern Europe	73.080
24	Israel`ISR`Western Asia	73.059
25	United Kingdom`GBR`Northern Europe	73.043
26	New Zealand`NZL`Australia and New Zealand	73.009
27	Belgium`BEL`Western Europe	72.706
28	Germany`DEU`Western Europe	72.570
29	Puerto Rico`PRI`Caribbean	72.528
30	Antigua and Barbuda`ATG`Caribbean	72.500
31	Malta`MLT`Southern Europe	72.338
32	Macau`MAC`Eastern Asia	72.242
33	Saint Martin`MAF`Caribbean	72.238
34	Austria`AUT`Western Europe	72.203
35	Costa Rica`CRI`Central America	72.029
36	Sint Maarten`SXM`Caribbean	71.971
37	Bermuda`BMU`Northern America	71.968
38	Ireland`IRL`Northern Europe	71.930
39	Montenegro`MNE`Southern Europe	71.919
40	Cuba`CUB`Caribbean	71.890
41	Cyprus`CYP`Western Asia	71.741
42	Taiwan`TWN`Eastern Asia	71.729
43	Slovenia`SVN`Southern Europe	71.587
44	Luxembourg`LUX`Western Europe	71.471
45	Serbia`SRB`Southern Europe	71.442
46	Croatia`HRV`Southern Europe	71.265
47	Singapore`SGP`South-eastern Asia	71.163
48	Barbados`BRB`Caribbean	71.143
49	Bulgaria`BGR`Eastern Europe	71.126
50	Belarus`BLR`Eastern Europe	70.948
51	Lithuania`LTU`Northern Europe	70.854
52	Portugal`PRT`Southern Europe	70.795
53	Czechia`CZE`Eastern Europe	70.712
54	Kuwait`KWT`Western Asia	70.455
55	Curaçao`CUW`Caribbean	70.445
56	Slovakia`SVK`Eastern Europe	70.422
57	Poland`POL`Eastern Europe	70.378
58	Aruba`ABW`Caribbean	70.271
59	Uruguay`URY`South America	70.265
60	Dominica`DMA`Caribbean	70.115
61	Bahrain`BHR`Western Asia	69.850
62	Ukraine`UKR`Eastern Europe	69.839
63	Romania`ROU`Eastern Europe	69.780
64	Estonia`EST`Northern Europe	69.658
65	Guam`GUM`Micronesia	69.571
66	Hungary`HUN`Eastern Europe	69.470
67	Albania`ALB`Southern Europe	69.367
68	Latvia`LVA`Northern Europe	69.330
69	Qatar`QAT`Western Asia	69.083
70	North Macedonia`MKD`Southern Europe	69.051
71	British Virgin Islands`VGB`Caribbean	69.029
72	American Samoa`ASM`Polynesia	68.881
73	Bahamas`BHS`Caribbean	68.873
74	Montserrat`MSR`Caribbean	68.858
75	Bosnia and Herzegovina`BIH`Southern Europe	68.844
76	Jamaica`JAM`Caribbean	68.739
77	Panama`PAN`Central America	68.687
78	Cayman Islands`CYM`Caribbean	68.533
79	United States Virgin Islands`VIR`Caribbean	68.285
80	Brunei`BRN`South-eastern Asia	68.258
81	Anguilla`AIA`Caribbean	68.225
82	Venezuela`VEN`South America	68.108
83	Chile`CHL`South America	68.042
84	Argentina`ARG`South America	67.999
85	Seychelles`SYC`Eastern Africa	67.935
86	Northern Mariana Islands`MNP`Micronesia	67.903
87	Grenada`GRD`Caribbean	67.856
88	Russia`RUS`Eastern Europe	67.813
89	Isle of Man`IMN`Northern Europe	67.689
90	Georgia`GEO`Western Asia	67.597
91	Saint Lucia`LCA`Caribbean	67.380
92	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines`VCT`Caribbean	67.273
93	Malaysia`MYS`South-eastern Asia	67.170
94	Niue`NIU`Polynesia	67.141
95	United Arab Emirates`ARE`Western Asia	67.083
96	Sri Lanka`LKA`Southern Asia	66.844
97	Turks and Caicos Islands`TCA`Caribbean	66.432
98	Belize`BLZ`Central America	66.338
99	North Korea`PRK`Eastern Asia	66.292
100	Trinidad and Tobago`TTO`Caribbean	66.198
101	Syria`SYR`Western Asia	65.932
102	French Polynesia`PYF`Polynesia	65.891
103	Tonga`TON`Polynesia	65.854
104	Colombia`COL`South America	65.827
105	Jordan`JOR`Western Asia	65.602
106	Cook Islands`COK`Polynesia	65.444
107	Mauritius`MUS`Eastern Africa	65.261
108	South Korea`KOR`Eastern Asia	64.961
109	Armenia`ARM`Western Asia	64.723
110	New Caledonia`NCL`Melanesia	64.702
111	Vietnam`VNM`South-eastern Asia	64.529
112	Moldova`MDA`Eastern Europe	64.489
113	Iraq`IRQ`Western Asia	64.175
114	Samoa`WSM`Polynesia	64.132
115	Paraguay`PRY`South America	64.078
116	Saint Kitts and Nevis`KNA`Caribbean	63.995
117	Libya`LBY`Northern Africa	63.796
118	Mexico`MEX`Central America	63.435
119	China`CHN`Eastern Asia	63.102
120	Fiji`FJI`Melanesia	63.065
121	Dominican Republic`DOM`Caribbean	62.624
122	Solomon Islands`SLB`Melanesia	62.536
123	Uzbekistan`UZB`Central Asia	62.440
124	Ecuador`ECU`South America	62.397
125	Micronesia`FSM`Micronesia	62.306
126	Tunisia`TUN`Northern Africa	62.147
127	Greenland`GRL`Northern America	61.767
128	Kazakhstan`KAZ`Central Asia	61.765
129	Türkiye`TUR`Western Asia	61.614
130	Philippines`PHL`South-eastern Asia	61.531
131	Botswana`BWA`Southern Africa	61.485
132	Palau`PLW`Micronesia	61.294
133	Thailand`THA`South-eastern Asia	61.266
134	Brazil`BRA`South America	60.922
135	Palestine`PSE`Western Asia	60.772
136	Kyrgyzstan`KGZ`Central Asia	60.707
137	Marshall Islands`MHL`Micronesia	60.701
138	Saudi Arabia`SAU`Western Asia	60.685
139	Guyana`GUY`South America	60.646
140	Azerbaijan`AZE`Western Asia	60.494
141	Suriname`SUR`South America	60.401
142	Cabo Verde`CPV`Western Africa	60.381
143	Lebanon`LBN`Western Asia	59.996
144	Vanuatu`VUT`Melanesia	59.881
145	Tuvalu`TUV`Polynesia	59.571
146	Peru`PER`South America	59.261
147	Honduras`HND`Central America	59.248
148	São Tomé and Príncipe`STP`Middle Africa	59.141
149	Namibia`NAM`Southern Africa	59.111
150	South Africa`ZAF`Southern Africa	58.991
151	Kosovo`XKX`Southern Europe	58.828
152	Tajikistan`TJK`Central Asia	58.396
153	Nauru`NRU`Micronesia	58.288
154	Turkmenistan`TKM`Central Asia	58.279
155	Kenya`KEN`Eastern Africa	58.234
156	Indonesia`IDN`South-eastern Asia	57.607
157	Oman`OMN`Western Asia	57.037
158	Gabon`GAB`Middle Africa	56.954
159	Kiribati`KIR`Micronesia	56.924
160	Eswatini`SWZ`Southern Africa	56.785
161	Papua New Guinea`PNG`Melanesia	56.523
162	Guatemala`GTM`Central America	56.412
163	Zambia`ZMB`Eastern Africa	56.335
164	Republic of the Congo`COG`Middle Africa	56.248
165	Pakistan`PAK`Southern Asia	56.072
166	Iran`IRN`Southern Asia	56.042
167	Lesotho`LSO`Southern Africa	55.166
168	Mongolia`MNG`Eastern Asia	54.923
169	Zimbabwe`ZWE`Eastern Africa	54.730
170	El Salvador`SLV`Central America	54.709
171	Egypt`EGY`Northern Africa	54.075
172	Morocco`MAR`Northern Africa	53.554
173	Nicaragua`NIC`Central America	53.534
174	Myanmar`MMR`South-eastern Asia	53.522
175	Sudan`SDN`Northern Africa	53.290
176	India`IND`Southern Asia	52.420
177	Mauritania`MRT`Western Africa	52.349
178	Bangladesh`BGD`Southern Asia	51.596
179	Djibouti`DJI`Eastern Africa	51.172
180	Togo`TGO`Western Africa	50.902
181	Bolivia`BOL`South America	50.838
182	Algeria`DZA`Northern Africa	50.615
183	Ghana`GHA`Western Africa	50.461
184	Maldives`MDV`Southern Asia	50.448
185	Côte d’Ivoire`CIV`Western Africa	50.361
186	Tanzania`TZA`Eastern Africa	50.351
187	Cameroon`CMR`Middle Africa	50.319
188	Madagascar`MDG`Eastern Africa	50.017
189	Comoros`COM`Eastern Africa	49.702
190	Haiti`HTI`Caribbean	49.484
191	Central African Republic`CAF`Middle Africa	49.162
192	Yemen`YEM`Western Asia	48.484
193	Nepal`NPL`Southern Asia	47.202
194	Somalia`SOM`Eastern Africa	47.013
195	Benin`BEN`Western Africa	46.941
196	Laos`LAO`South-eastern Asia	46.832
197	Bhutan`BTN`Southern Asia	46.691
198	Senegal`SEN`Western Africa	46.596
199	Rwanda`RWA`Eastern Africa	46.165
200	Uganda`UGA`Eastern Africa	45.596
201	Nigeria`NGA`Western Africa	45.348
202	Burkina Faso`BFA`Western Africa	44.995
203	DR Congo`COD`Middle Africa	44.628
204	Burundi`BDI`Eastern Africa	44.404
205	Mozambique`MOZ`Eastern Africa	43.963
206	Gambia`GMB`Western Africa	43.573
207	Liberia`LBR`Western Africa	43.567
208	Eritrea`ERI`Eastern Africa	43.380
209	Chad`TCD`Middle Africa	43.017
210	Malawi`MWI`Eastern Africa	43.003
211	Guinea-Bissau`GNB`Western Africa	42.908
212	Equatorial Guinea`GNQ`Middle Africa	42.331
213	Sierra Leone`SLE`Western Africa	42.192
214	Guinea`GIN`Western Africa	41.882
215	Angola`AGO`Middle Africa	41.573
216	Ethiopia`ETH`Eastern Africa	41.506
217	Afghanistan`AFG`Southern Asia	40.086
218	Mali`MLI`Western Africa	38.761
219	Niger`NER`Western Africa	38.268
220	South Sudan`SSD`Eastern Africa	37.592
221	Timor-Leste`TLS`South-eastern Asia	22.933
222	Cambodia`KHM`South-eastern Asia	11.573

02In 1978

At either end

The 5 countries at each end of the headline.

Highest

1Andorra76.488
2Iceland76.378
3San Marino75.889
4Japan75.657
5Faroe Islands75.615

Lowest

222Cambodia11.573
221Timor-Leste22.933
220South Sudan37.592
219Niger38.268
218Mali38.761

A higher value is the better result. The middle country reads 64.509. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.

031977 → 1978

Since 1977

What changed between 1977 and this one: who joined or left, and how far the headline moved.

+0 / −0countries joined / left
222values changed, of 222 in both
193 · 29rose · fell
0unchanged

Rose most

Oman55.524 → 57.037+1.513
Algeria49.249 → 50.615+1.366
Guatemala55.185 → 56.412+1.227
Yemen47.442 → 48.484+1.042
Malawi41.979 → 43.003+1.024

Fell most

Nicaragua56.126 → 53.534−2.592
Zimbabwe56.996 → 54.730−2.267
Timor-Leste24.875 → 22.933−1.942
Maldives51.835 → 50.448−1.387
Afghanistan41.082 → 40.086−0.996

Changes in value, not in places: a country’s place also moves when others do. Every country’s full history is charted on the statistic page.

04Caveats

Read before you use

What this edition’s numbers are and are not, worked out from the file itself.

How values are stored

The position is ours
UN DESA Population Division publishes values only; the order is this site’s.
Nothing missing
Every one of the 222 countries has every column.

05The files

Download and cite

The table as a file, digit for digit, what this site changed, and a citation for this edition.

Licence in full

.csv
For a spreadsheet or code
222 rows · 6.5 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download life-expectancy-1978-nations-inquiry.csv
↗
The publisher’s original
UN DESA Population Division’s own file, on its own site.
WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz

What this site changed: Reshaped into one row per country: regional and income-group totals are left out, only the columns listed are kept, each row gets its ISO 3166 code, and some country names are brought to one spelling. No value is recalculated, rescaled or rounded.

Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO · what it allows, in plain words

Cite this edition

UN DESA Population Division (1978). Life Expectancy at Birth, 1978 [data set], describing 1978. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/life-expectancy/1978

0674 held

Other years

‹ The year before
Life Expectancy at Birth, 1977
222 countries
The year after ›
Life Expectancy at Birth, 1979
222 countries
All of them
Life Expectancy at Birth: every year
74 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country

07Questions