International Comparisons: Life Expectancy by Country

Average life expectancy varies from one country to the next.

When selecting a retirement destination, it is not uncommon for someone who is considering expatriate living to look at the cost of living in foreign countries. And, while personal finances are extremely important to think about, it is also useful to exam other country by country social and health indicators such as life expectancy by country.

Life expectancy is the average number of years that a newly born child can be expected to live in a particular country. Variations in the life expectancy by country are caused by many factors. The statistics vary from one country to the next, and will usually vary between locations within an individual country as well.

The life expectancy by country, is a useful statistic that tells you something about a nation’s social and health conditions. If a country’s life expectancy is very high, then it is likely that you are looking at a developed country with a modern health care system – something of high importance for expatriate living. If the country’s life expectancy is very low, it may be an indication of a poorly developed health care system, high poverty conditions, major health problems such as AIDS, a high infant death rate, internal wars and conflict that increase the death rate, or a poor health and sanitation infrastructure.

Unless you are an individual who enjoys a great deal of risks and living life on the edge, you will probably be interested in a retirement destination with a high country life expectancy. It not only is an indicator that the social situation and health conditions are very good if you retire abroad there, but it may be a guide for improving your own personal health as well.

For example, although the United States is one of the wealthiest and most developed countries in the world, Americans rank 44th on the list of country by country life expectancy. Clearly, having a modern healthcare system and modern infrastructure are not the only factors affecting a country’s life expectancy.

Factors such as diet, lifestyle, and environmental conditions also influence a country’s life expectancy. Should you retire abroad, it may be possible to modify your diet and lifestyle to those living in a foreign country and possibly increase your own individual life expectancy.

However, there are some factors that are difficult to change which influence a country’s life expectancy include gender and ethnic origin. From one country to the next, males typically have a lower life expectancy than women. And, there are some ethnic/racial groups that seem to have a much higher life expectancy than others.

So, if you are considering international living in your retirement, then an examination of a country’s life expectancy may help you select a country with a decent infrastructure that supports good healthcare. And it may also help you to modify your lifestyle to actually increase your own life expectancy as well.

The following is a list and analysis of countries by their life expectancies.

Country Life Expectancy: Very High (80 years and older)

To some degree, this category contains many small and highly urbanized nations. This may be simply an indication of countries with fairly a fairly modern infrastructures in place and a very small rural population living in poverty. On the other hand, there are many studies about the longer life expectancies of the Japanese as a result of their diet and lifestyle. Whatever the case, a retired expatriate is likely to find these countries with the infrastructure and possibly lifestyles associated with a longer country life expectancy.

• Andorra: 83.5
• Antigua and Barbuda: 82.3
• Macau: 82.3
• Japan: 82.0
• San Marino: 81.8
• Singapore: 81.8
• Hong Kong: 81.7
• Sweden: 80.6
• Australia: 80.6
• Switzerland: 80.6
• France: 80.6
• Guernsey: 80.5
• Iceland: 80.4
• Canada: 80.3
• Cayman Islands: 80.2

Country Life Expectancy: High (75-79 years)

It is interesting to note that the United States falls somewhere in the middle of this list with a country life expectancy of 78 years. Most of the countries in this list are developed countries in Europe, North America, North Asia or Oceania. However, toward the lower end of this high country life expectancy list, there are a handful of lesser developed countries – some from Central and South America and the Middle East.

While a life expectancy of 75.2 (Panama) may seem lower than a life expectancy of 78 (USA), one needs to keep in mind that the poor make up a much larger percent of the population in a developing country like Panama. However, it is likely that in the most urbanized parts of Panama and among the wealthier classes of Panama, the differences in country life expectancy may not be as great. Thus, the decision to retire abroad does not necessarily create a risk to your life expectancy – as long as you are living in a part of the country with an adequate social and healthcare infrastructure and have the financial resources to afford a decent lifestyle.

• Italy:79.9
• Gibraltar:79.9
• Monaco:79.8
• Liechtenstein:79.8
• Spain:79.8
• Norway:79.7
• Israel:79.6
• Jersey:79.5
• Faroe Islands:79.5
• Greece:79.4
• Austria:79.2
• Virgin Islands:79.2
• Malta:79.2
• Luxembourg:79.0
• Montserrat:79.0
• New Zealand:79.0
• Germany:79.0
• Belgium:78.9
• Guam:78.8
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon:78.8
• United Kingdom:78.7
• Finland:78.7
• Isle of Man:78.6
• Jordan:78.6
• Puerto Rico:78.5
• Bosnia and Herzegovina:78.2
• Bermuda:78.1
• Saint Helena:78.1
• United States: 78.0
• Cyprus:78.0
• Denmark:78.0
• Ireland:77.9
• Portugal:77.9
• Albania:77.6
• Taiwan:77.6
• Anguilla:77.5
• Kuwait:77.4
• Korea, South:77.2
• Costa Rica:77.2
• Cuba:77.1
• Chile:77.0
• Libya:76.9
• British Virgin Islands:77.2
• Ecuador:76.6
• Slovenia:76.5
• Czech Republic:76.4
• Argentina:76.3
• French Polynesia:76.3
• Georgia:76.3
• Northern Mariana Islands:76.3
• American Samoa:76.3
• Netherlands Antilles:76.2
• Uruguay:75.9
• Saudi Arabia:75.9
• United Arab Emirates:75.7
• Mexico:75.6
• Paraguay:75.3
• Tunisia:75.3
• Brunei:75.3
• Poland:75.2
• Panama:75.2
• Dominica:75.1
• Serbia:75.1
• Slovakia:75.0
• Turks and Caicos Islands:75.0

Country Life Expectancy: Above Average (70-74 years)

Most of the countries with an above average country life expectancy are developing countries that in recent years have made a lot of economic progress towards becoming a developed country. There a large number of Eastern European, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, Latin American and Southeast Asian countries in this category. The country where I have decided to retire abroad to is located in this grouping.

In part, the lower life expectancy in the Philippines (70.5) compared to the USA (78.0) to a large degree reflects a number of factors. There is a larger percent of the population living in poverty in the country – a segment of the population usually with a higher rate of infant mortality and less access to healthcare. However, since I am living in one of the larger cities in the Philippines, with adequate finances I am able to easily obtain access to quality medical and dental care, my home has all the necessary infrastructure for good sanitation, and my diet is no better or worse than that in the United States.

As such, many of these countries probably do not expose you to a risk of a lower life expectancy – if you are able to afford living in a decent neighborhood with access to quality healthcare. On the other hand, if you lack the resources to live in a decent neighborhood, then you are very likely exposing yourself to some risks that may lower your life expectancy.

• Croatia:74.9
• Aruba:74.8
• Sri Lanka:74.8
• Bahrain:74.7
• New Caledonia:74.5
• Lithuania:74.4
• Macedonia:74.2
• Qatar:74.1
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:74.1
• Saint Lucia:74.1
• Oman:73.6
• Algeria:73.5
• West Bank:73.5
• Venezuela:73.3
• Suriname:73.2
• Solomon Islands:73.2
• Lebanon:73.2
• Jamaica:73.1
• Dominican Republic:73.1
• Barbados:73.0
• Hungary:72.9
• China:72.9
• Turkey:72.9
• Mauritius:72.9
• Malaysia:72.8
• Saint Kitts and Nevis:72.7
• Bulgaria:72.6
• Thailand:72.6
• Seychelles:72.3
• Estonia:72.3
• Colombia:72.3
• Colombia:72.3
• Brazil:72.2
• Gaza Strip:72.2
• Armenia:72.1
• Korea, North:71.9
• Romania:71.9
• El Salvador:71.8
• Latvia:71.6
• Egypt:71.6
• Samoa:71.3
• Morocco:71.2
• Vietnam:71.1
• Cape Verde:71.0
• Nicaragua:70.9
• Palau:70.7
• Marshall Islands:70.6
• Syria:70.6
• Iran:70.6
• Philippines:70.5
• Micronesia, Federated States of:70.4
• Greenland:70.2
• Moldova:70.2
• Indonesia:70.2
• Peru:70.1
• Fiji:70.1
• Tonga:70.1
• Belarus:70.1

Country Life Expectancy: Average (60-69 years)

By and large, countries in this category are the developing countries in the world. There are a variety of factors contributing to a country life expectancy that is lower than the USA. Many of these countries have not had the economic resources to really develop their economic infrastructure. In other cases, these countries have experienced a high level of military conflict (e.g. Iraq). In other cases, there is a significantly large percent of the population that lives in poverty, without adequate medical care, and pulls the nation’s average life expectancy down. If you are considering living abroad or planning to retire abroad to one of these countries, it is recommended that you do some research on the country and its infrastructure to better understand the risks that you may or may not be exposing yourself to.

• Guatemala:69.7
• Honduras:69.4
• Iraq:69.3
• Kyrgyzstan:68.8
• Tuvalu:68.6
• India:68.6
• Turkmenistan:68.3
• Belize:67.9
• Ukraine:68.8
• Sao Tome and Principe:67.6
• Kazakhstan:67.2
• Mongolia:67.0
• Trinidad and Tobago:66.9
• East Timor:66.6
• Bolivia:66.2
• Guyana:66.2
• Azerbaijan:66.0
• Russia:65.9
• The World’s Average :65.8
• Bahamas, The:65.7
• Papua New Guinea:65.6
• Grenada:65.2
• Uzbekistan:65.0
• Maldives:64.8
• Tajikistan:64.6
• Pakistan:63.8
• Nauru:63.4
• Vanuatu:63.2
• Bangladesh:62.8
• Comoros:62.7
• Yemen:62.5
• Burma:62.5
• Kiribati:62.5
• Mayotte:62.2
• Madagascar:62.1
• Cambodia:61.3
• Nepal:60.6

County Life Expectancy: Below Average (Less than 60 years)

Almost all of the countries in this category are African nations, a region of the world with very low levels of economic and infrastructure development. Many are tropical nations with some risks associated with tropical diseases. Almost all are very poor countries and in some cases have been exposed to warfare, famines, or disease outbreaks (e.g. HIV).

In general, living abroad in these countries do carry some real risks and one should do as much research as possible on the country prior to making a decision to live there.

• Eritrea:59.6
• Ghana:59.1
• Togo:57.9
• Congo:57.2
• Haiti:57.0
• Senegal:56.7
• Laos:55.9
• Kenya:55.3
• Bhutan:55.2
• Gambia, The:54.5
• Gabon:54.0
• Mauritania:53.5
• Benin:53.4
• Congo, Republic of the:53.3
• Cameroon:52.9
• Uganda:51.8
• Burundi:51.3
• Tanzania:50.7
• Botswana:50.6
• Guinea:49.7
• Equatorial Guinea:49.5
• Mali:49.5
• Ethiopia:49.2
• Burkina Faso:49.2
• Sudan:49.1
• Cote d’Ivoire:49.0
• Rwanda:49.0
• Somalia:48.8
• Nigeria:47.4
• Chad:47.2
• Guinea-Bissau:47.2
• Niger:44.0
• Afghanistan:43.8
• Central African Republic:43.7
• Djibouti:43.3
• Namibia:43.1
• Malawi:43.0
• South Africa:42.5
• Mozambique:40.9
• Sierra Leone:40.6
• Liberia:40.4
• Lesotho:40.0
• Zimbabwe:39.5
• Zambia:38.4
• Angola:37.6
• Swaziland:32.2

Country Life Expectancy:  Summary

It is very useful to look at the life expectancy of the country that you will retire. In most developing countries, this is not much of a problem. You will probably end up in a situation with a good social and healthcare infrastructure in place.

Even if you should select a developing country, by insuring adequate personal financing and choosing a more urbanized part of that country for international living, any risk can be minimized. It is probably only in the most underdeveloped countries of Africa that it is extremely difficult to eliminate the risks to factors that might lower your life expectancy.

(Photo by Andre Bog)

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