In 1961, Mauritius had the highest life expectancy at birth in Africa (56.52 years), followed by Zimbabwe (53.62 years), and then South Africa (53.09 years). South Sudan had the lowest life expectancy at birth (28.84 years) in Africa in 1961.
The top 3 african countries with high female life expectancy in 1961 were: Mauritius (59.21), Zimbabwe (55.56), and South Africa (55.25). Similarly, the top 3 african countries with high male life expectancy in 1961 were: Mauritius (53.96), Zimbabwe (51.69), and South Africa (51.21).
The World Bank defines life expectancy at birth as "the average number of years a newborn is expected to live if mortality patterns at the time of its birth remain constant in the future".
The charts and table below shows the total, male, and female life expectancy of African countries in 1961.
| Country | Total (Yr) | Male (Yr) | Female (Yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 40.52 | 37.94 | 43.47 |
| Angola | 37.27 | 34.70 | 40.10 |
| Benin | 38.54 | 37.73 | 39.34 |
| Botswana | 50.89 | 48.33 | 53.32 |
| Burkina Faso | 36.24 | 35.15 | 37.44 |
| Burundi | 43.25 | 41.80 | 44.63 |
| Cape Verde | 49.95 | 47.92 | 51.78 |
| Cameroon | 35.41 | 29.98 | 42.57 |
| Republic of Congo | 48.70 | 46.23 | 51.30 |
| Ivory Coast | 38.74 | 37.21 | 40.34 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 40.24 | 38.64 | 41.74 |
| Djibouti | 43.72 | 41.83 | 45.67 |
| Central African Republic | 39.74 | 38.52 | 40.98 |
| Chad | 38.63 | 37.10 | 40.20 |
| Egypt | 46.02 | 44.27 | 47.82 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 41.99 | 40.44 | 43.58 |
| Eritrea | 37.97 | 35.93 | 40.08 |
| Eswatini | 46.19 | 44.62 | 47.71 |
| Ethiopia | 41.00 | 38.73 | 43.37 |
| Gabon | 47.23 | 45.70 | 48.77 |
| Gambia | 35.57 | 34.37 | 36.78 |
| Ghana | 47.33 | 45.43 | 49.52 |
| Guinea | 36.75 | 35.50 | 38.05 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 37.70 | 35.93 | 39.63 |
| Kenya | 49.53 | 48.13 | 51.13 |
| Lesotho | 50.43 | 46.31 | 53.62 |
| Liberia | 38.33 | 36.72 | 40.09 |
| Libya | 42.06 | 40.99 | 43.27 |
| Madagascar | 43.64 | 42.66 | 44.68 |
| Malawi | 35.33 | 33.37 | 37.30 |
| Mali | 29.83 | 29.12 | 30.56 |
| Mauritania | 45.44 | 44.95 | 45.94 |
| Mauritius | 56.52 | 53.96 | 59.21 |
| Morocco | 43.80 | 42.89 | 44.69 |
| Mozambique | 41.59 | 40.36 | 42.78 |
| Zambia | 49.45 | 48.27 | 50.64 |
| Zimbabwe | 53.62 | 51.69 | 55.56 |
| Tanzania | 43.10 | 41.83 | 44.36 |
| Uganda | 46.26 | 44.14 | 48.70 |
| Tunisia | 44.15 | 42.70 | 45.69 |
| Togo | 42.88 | 41.60 | 44.17 |
| Sudan | 47.02 | 46.15 | 47.92 |
| Somalia | 43.56 | 42.18 | 44.97 |
| South Africa | 53.09 | 51.21 | 55.25 |
| South Sudan | 28.84 | 26.55 | 31.45 |
| Sierra Leone | 34.41 | 33.07 | 35.76 |
| Senegal | 39.92 | 39.79 | 40.02 |
| Rwanda | 47.66 | 47.10 | 48.21 |
| Niger | 36.56 | 36.00 | 37.03 |
| Nigeria | 37.67 | 36.49 | 38.87 |
| Namibia | 48.37 | 46.45 | 50.26 |
| Comoros | 40.15 | 39.74 | 40.54 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 44.36 | 42.84 | 46.26 |
Life Expectancy at Birth of African Countries
Use the links below to find the historical life expectancy at birth for each African country.