Can Money Buy Happiness? Maybe Not, But It Can Buy Longevity—Life Expectancy Rankings Revealed

Gulf Insider

26-05-2025

Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao illustrates this phenomenon in the above map, which uses 2025 life expectancy at birth projections from the UN World Population Prospects published last year.
Life expectancy at birth measures the average number of years that a newborn could expect to live, if they were subject to the age-specific mortality rates of a given period.
This number visualized is an average between men and women. For extra context, women have higher life expectancies than men in nearly every country in the world.
The micronation of Monaco has the highest average life expectancy in the world. A baby born in the country in 2025 can expect to live to 87 years old. Rank Country ISO Code Average lifeexpectancy at birth,2025 (in years) 1 🇲🇨 Monaco MCO 87 2 🇸🇲 San Marino SMR 86 3 🇭🇰 Hong Kong HKG 86 4 🇯🇵 Japan JPN 85 5 🇰🇷 South Korea KOR 85 6 🇧🇱 Saint Barthélemy BLM 85 7 🇦🇩 Andorra AND 84 8 🇵🇫 French Polynesia PYF 84 9 🇨🇭 Switzerland CHE 84 10 🇦🇺 Australia AUS 84 11 🇮🇹 Italy ITA 84 12 🇸🇬 Singapore SGP 84 13 🇪🇸 Spain ESP 84 14 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein LIE 84 15 🇷🇪 Réunion REU 84 16 🇬🇮 Gibraltar GIB 84 17 🇲🇹 Malta MLT 84 18 🇳🇴 Norway NOR 84 19 🇫🇷 France FRA 84 20 🇸🇪 Sweden SWE 84 21 🇬🇬 Guernsey GGY 84 22 🇲🇴 Macao MAC 83 23 🇻🇦 Holy See VAT 83 24 🇦🇪 UAE ARE 83 25 🇮🇸 Iceland ISL 83 26 🇲🇶 Martinique MTQ 83 27 🇨🇦 Canada CAN 83 28 🇮🇱 Israel ISR 83 29 🇮🇪 Ireland IRL 83 30 🇵🇹 Portugal PRT 83 31 🇶🇦 Qatar QAT 83 32 🇧🇲 Bermuda BMU 83 33 🇱🇺 Luxembourg LUX 82 34 🇳🇱 Netherlands NLD 82 35 🇧🇪 Belgium BEL 82 36 🇬🇵 Guadeloupe GLP 82 37 🇳🇿 New Zealand NZL 82 38 🇦🇹 Austria AUT 82 39 🇩🇰 Denmark DNK 82 40 🇫🇮 Finland FIN 82 41 🇬🇷 Greece GRC 82 42 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico PRI 82 43 🇨🇾 Cyprus CYP 82 44 🇸🇮 Slovenia SVN 82 45 🇩🇪 Germany DEU 82 46 🇬🇧 UK GBR 82 47 🇧🇭 Bahrain BHR 82 48 🇨🇱 Chile CHL 82 49 🇲🇻 Maldives MDV 82 50 🇮🇲 Isle of Man IMN 81 51 🇨🇷 Costa Rica CRI 81 52 🇹🇼 Taiwan TWN 81 53 🇰🇼 Kuwait KWT 81 54 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands CYM 81 55 🇲🇫 Saint Martin MAF 81 56 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands FRO 81 57 🇴🇲 Oman OMN 80 58 🇨🇿 Czechia CZE 80 59 🇯🇪 Jersey JEY 80 60 🇵🇦 Panama PAN 80 61 🇦🇱 Albania ALB 80 62 🇦🇮 Anguilla AIA 80 63 🇺🇸 U.S. USA 80 64 🇫🇰 Falkland Islands FLK 80 65 🇪🇪 Estonia EST 79 66 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia SAU 79 67 🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands MNP 79 68 🇳🇨 New Caledonia NCL 79 69 🇵🇱 Poland POL 79 70 🇭🇷 Croatia HRV 79 71 🇼🇫 Wallis & Futuna Islands WLF 79 72 🇸🇰 Slovakia SVK 79 73 🇺🇾 Uruguay URY 78 74 🇨🇺 Cuba CUB 78 75 🇽🇰 Kosovo XKX 78 76 🇨🇳 China CHN 78 77 🇹🇨 Turks & Caicos Islands TCA 78 78 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina BIH 78 79 🇯🇴 Jordan JOR 78 80 🇵🇪 Peru PER 78 81 🇨🇴 Colombia COL 78 82 🇱🇧 Lebanon LBN 78 83 🇮🇷 Iran IRN 78 84 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda ATG 78 85 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka LKA 78 86 🇹🇷 Türkiye TUR 78 87 🇧🇶 Bonaire BES 78 88 🇪🇨 Ecuador ECU 78 89 🇦🇷 Argentina ARG 78 90 🇲🇰 North Macedonia MKD 78 91 🇬🇺 Guam GUM 78 92 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands VGB 78 93 🌴 Polynesia (no emoji available) POL 78 94 🇲🇪 Montenegro MNE 77 95 🇬🇫 French Guiana GUF 77 96 🇭🇺 Hungary HUN 77 97 🇹🇰 Tokelau TKL 77 98 🇨🇼 Curaçao CUW 77 99 🇷🇸 Serbia SRB 77 100 🇸🇭 Saint Helena SHN 77 101 🇵🇲 Saint Pierre & Miquelon SPM 77 102 🇲🇾 Malaysia MYS 77 103 🇹🇳 Tunisia TUN 77 104 🇹🇭 Thailand THA 77 105 🇸🇽 Sint Maarten SXM 77 106 🇩🇿 Algeria DZA 77 107 🇦🇼 Aruba ABW 77 108 🇧🇧 Barbados BRB 76 109 🇲🇸 Montserrat MSR 76 110 🇱🇻 Latvia LVA 76 111 🇾🇹 Mayotte MYT 76 112 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde CPV 76 113 🇱🇹 Lithuania LTU 76 114 🇷🇴 Romania ROU 76 115 🇧🇷 Brazil BRA 76 116 🇦🇲 Armenia ARM 76 117 🇧🇬 Bulgaria BGR 76 118 🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands VIR 76 119 🇲🇦 Morocco MAR 76 120 🇧🇳 Brunei Darussalam BRN 76 121 🇨🇰 Cook Islands COK 76 122 🇬🇩 Grenada GRD 76 123 🇲🇽 Mexico MEX 75 124 🇲🇺 Mauritius MUS 75 125 🇳🇮 Nicaragua NIC 75 126 🇧🇩 Bangladesh BGD 75 127 🇻🇳 Viet Nam VNM 75 128 🇺🇦 Ukraine UKR 75 129 🇧🇸 Bahamas BHS 75 130 🇬🇪 Georgia GEO 75 131 🇧🇾 Belarus BLR 75 132 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan AZE 75 133 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan KAZ 75 134 🇵🇾 Paraguay PRY 74 135 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic DOM 74 136 🇧🇿 Belize BLZ 74 137 🇸🇷 Suriname SUR 74 138 🇰🇵 North Korea PRK 74 139 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago TTO 74 140 🇧🇹 Bhutan BTN 74 141 🇷🇺 Russia RUS 74 142 🇹🇴 Tonga TON 73 143 🇭🇳 Honduras HND 73 144 🇱🇾 Libya LBY 73 145 🇸🇨 Seychelles SYC 73 146 🇺🇸 American Samoa ASM 73 147 🇵🇸 Palestine PSE 73 148 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia LCA 73 149 🇸🇾 Syria SYR 73 150 🇬🇹 Guatemala GTM 73 151 🇻🇪 Venezuela VEN 73 152 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan UZB 73 153 🇮🇶 Iraq IRQ 73 154 🇸🇻 El Salvador SLV 73 155 🇮🇳 India IND 72 156 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis KNA 72 157 🇲🇳 Mongolia MNG 72 158 🇹🇯 Tajikistan TJK 72 159 🇪🇬 Egypt EGY 72 160 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan KGZ 72 161 🇼🇸 Samoa WSM 72 162 🇻🇺 Vanuatu VUT 72 163 🇪🇭 Western Sahara ESH 72 164 🇯🇲 Jamaica JAM 72 165 🇻🇨 Saint Vincent & the Grenadines VCT 72 166 🇲🇩 Moldova MDA 71 167 🇩🇲 Dominica DMA 71 168 🇮🇩 Indonesia IDN 71 169 🇰🇭 Cambodia KHM 71 170 🇳🇵 Nepal NPL 71 171 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands SLB 71 172 🇬🇾 Guyana GUY 70 173 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan TKM 70 174 🇬🇱 Greenland GRL 70 175 🇳🇺 Niue NIU 70 176 🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe STP 70 177 🇵🇭 Philippines PHL 70 178 🇾🇪 Yemen YEM 70 179 🇵🇼 Palau PLW 69 180 🇱🇦 Laos LAO 69 181 🇧🇼 Botswana BWA 69 182 🇸🇳 Senegal SEN 69 183 🇪🇷 Eritrea ERI 69 184 🇲🇷 Mauritania MRT 69 185 🇧🇴 Bolivia BOL 69 186 🇺🇬 Uganda UGA 69 187 🇬🇦 Gabon GAB 69 188 🇷🇼 Rwanda RWA 68 189 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste TLS 68 190 🇵🇰 Pakistan PAK 68 191 🇪🇹 Ethiopia ETH 68 192 🇲🇼 Malawi MWI 68 193 🇳🇦 Namibia NAM 68 194 🇫🇯 Fiji FJI 68 195 🇫🇲 Micronesia FSM 68 196 🇹🇿 Tanzania TZA 67 197 🇹🇻 Tuvalu TUV 67 198 🇲🇲 Myanmar MMR 67 199 🇰🇲 Comoros COM 67 200 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands MHL 67 201 🇰🇮 Kiribati KIR 67 202 🇸🇩 Sudan SDN 67 203 🇿🇲 Zambia ZMB 67 204 🇦🇫 Afghanistan AFG 67 205 🇿🇦 South Africa ZAF 66 206 🇩🇯 Djibouti DJI 66 207 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea PNG 66 208 🇬🇲 Gambia GMB 66 209 🇨🇬 Congo COG 66 210 🇬🇭 Ghana GHA 66 211 🇭🇹 Haiti HTI 65 212 🇦🇴 Angola AGO 65 213 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau GNB 64 214 🇸🇿 Eswatini SWZ 64 215 🇨🇲 Cameroon CMR 64 216 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea GNQ 64 217 🇲🇬 Madagascar MDG 64 218 🇰🇪 Kenya KEN 64 219 🇧🇮 Burundi BDI 64 220 🇲🇿 Mozambique MOZ 64 221 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe ZWE 63 222 🇹🇬 Togo TGO 63 223 🇱🇷 Liberia LBR 62 224 🇳🇷 Nauru NRU 62 225 🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire CIV 62 226 🇨🇩 DRC COD 62 227 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone SLE 62 228 🇳🇪 Niger NER 62 229 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso BFA 61 230 🇧🇯 Benin BEN 61 231 🇬🇳 Guinea GIN 61 232 🇲🇱 Mali MLI 61 233 🇸🇴 Somalia SOM 59 234 🇱🇸 Lesotho LSO 58 235 🇨🇫 Central African Republic CAF 58 236 🇸🇸 South Sudan SSD 58 237 🇹🇩 Chad TCD 55 238 🇳🇬 Nigeria NGA 55
Note: Figures rounded.
Most of the top 10 countries are similarly small-sized territories or countries.
However, Japan (#4), South Korea (#5), and Australia (#10) are the three top-10 countries with the highest life expectancies (84+) when accounting for a population of more than 20 million people.
Regionally, Western European countries have the highest life expectancies at birth. Their counterparts in Eastern Europe are a shade lower.
And despite Japan and South Korea's performance, most Asians have life expectancies between 70–80 years. Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Papua New Guinea are below the 70-year threshold.
However, several African countries have a below-60 life expectancy, a projected lifespan that is a full 20 years shorter than Western European residents.
Nigeria has the lowest average life expectancy at birth, at 55 years.
Life expectancies are tricky things to fully comprehend: in that they change throughout a person's lifespan and are measured for entire cohorts born in a year.
For example, in countries with lower projected expectancies, it doesn't necessarily mean adults don't live as long.
A high infant mortality rate for a particular cohort of babies born in a year could reduce the projected lifespan of the entire cohort. However once a baby from that year survives to adulthood, they may very well reach their 70s.
In fact, data shows that the biggest difference between life expectancies of Africa and high-income regions are for those before the age of 5 and after 60.
This is because both babies and older adults have a need for specific medical infrastructure which many Africans don't have access to.
There is a strong correlation between wealth and longer lifespans. Check out Countries with the Highest GDP per Capita in 2024 to see similarities.