What the latest UN report says about life expectancy
Global life expectancy at birth has reached 73.3 years in 2024, which represents an increase of 8.4 years since 1995, a recent UN report has disclosed.
The report’s projections suggest that this trend will continue, with average longevity expected to reach around 77.4 years globally by 2054.
According to the report, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic caused global life expectancy to drop to 70.9 years in 2020 and 2021. However, nearly all countries have now returned to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, life expectancy stood at 72.6 years before the virus emerged.
The report further predicts that by the late 2050s, more than half of all deaths worldwide will occur at age 80 or older, which indicates a contrast to 1995 when only 17% of deaths were in this age group.
Additionally, 2023 saw a milestone as the number of deaths among children under age five fell below 5 million for the first time in recent history. Despite this progress, 95% of these child deaths occurred in countries with growing populations, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
Rising life expectancy is expected to impact global population trends. In countries where populations have already peaked, lower death rates and immigration are likely to slow population decline caused by low birth rates.
