Life Expectancy at Birth for African Countries in 1972

Updated on March 17, 2026.

According to data from the World Bank, in 1972, among all African countries, Seychelles had the highest life expectancy at birth in Africa (65.37 years), followed by Mauritius (63.87 years), and Libya (58.69 years). On the other hand, Burundi had the lowest life expectancy at birth in Africa in 1972 (25.78 years).

The chart and table below shows the life expectancy for African countries in 1972.

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 1972 (Years)
Life Expectancy at Birth for African Countries in 1972 (Years)
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Country Life Expectancy (Yrs)
Algeria 44.38
Angola 40.47
Benin 43.93
Botswana 57.67
Burkina Faso 40.4
Burundi 25.78
Cape Verde 57.49
Cameroon 49.12
Republic of Congo 54.36
Ivory Coast 45.58
Democratic Republic of the Congo 43.87
Djibouti 48.53
Central African Republic 46.33
Chad 41.92
Egypt 49.91
Equatorial Guinea 44.44
Eritrea 40.72
Eswatini 52.35
Ethiopia 41.04
Gabon 53.81
Gambia 40.55
Ghana 48.27
Guinea 39.68
Guinea-Bissau 37.82
Kenya 55.01
Lesotho 52.26
Liberia 41.2
Libya 58.69
Madagascar 48.51
Malawi 37.61
Mali 34.51
Mauritania 51.04
Mauritius 63.87
Morocco 49.71
Mozambique 42.52
Zambia 54.38
Zimbabwe 58.18
Tanzania 47.44
Uganda 47.16
Tunisia 56.1
Togo 47.69
Sudan 52.8
Somalia 46.03
South Africa 56.38
South Sudan 31.29
Sierra Leone 39.51
Senegal 41.77
Rwanda 46.34
Niger 35.81
Nigeria 41.27
Namibia 55.85
Comoros 46.46
Sao Tome and Principe 57.45
Seychelles 65.37

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.