Life Expectancy at Birth for African Countries in 1961

Updated on March 17, 2026.

According to data from the World Bank, in 1961, among all African countries, Seychelles had the highest life expectancy at birth in Africa (60.61 years), followed by Mauritius (59.57 years), and Zimbabwe (53.97 years). On the other hand, South Sudan had the lowest life expectancy at birth in Africa in 1961 (28.28 years).

The chart and table below shows the life expectancy for African countries in 1961.

You can also see links below for the trend of the life expectancy for each African country.

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".

Related Topics: World Bank Topic List
Data Source: World Bank.
See this for other years:
Total Life Expectancy at Birth for African Countries in 1961 (Years)
Life Expectancy at Birth for African Countries in 1961 (Years)
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Country Life Expectancy (Yrs)
Algeria 40.79
Angola 36.9
Benin 39.23
Botswana 51.78
Burkina Faso 36.36
Burundi 43.36
Cape Verde 49.42
Cameroon 35.19
Republic of Congo 48.35
Ivory Coast 37.92
Democratic Republic of the Congo 40.16
Djibouti 43.78
Central African Republic 40.06
Chad 39.42
Egypt 45.15
Equatorial Guinea 43.01
Eritrea 37.91
Eswatini 46.75
Ethiopia 40.2
Gabon 47.12
Gambia 35.06
Ghana 47.13
Guinea 36.82
Guinea-Bissau 37.79
Kenya 49.33
Lesotho 50.28
Liberia 38.1
Libya 42.36
Madagascar 43.79
Malawi 35.23
Mali 30.64
Mauritania 44.31
Mauritius 59.57
Morocco 43.69
Mozambique 41.5
Zambia 51.04
Zimbabwe 53.97
Tanzania 42.84
Uganda 46.27
Tunisia 44.26
Togo 43.75
Sudan 49.96
Somalia 43.67
South Africa 53.07
South Sudan 28.28
Sierra Leone 33.63
Senegal 39.72
Rwanda 47.46
Niger 36.29
Nigeria 37.43
Namibia 49.24
Comoros 41.16
Sao Tome and Principe 45.19
Seychelles 60.61

Trend of Life Expectancy at Birth for African Countries

Use the links below to see the trend of life expectancy at birth for the following African countries.