Bhutan vs China: Life expectancy

Life expectancy in 2023: 73 years in Bhutan and 78 years in China, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in China, by 5 years, or 1.07 times that in Bhutan.

Watch it change on the map

years · UN

BhutanChinaUN projection (medium variant)95% prediction intervalWorld

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 1961, when it overtook Bhutan.
In 2023, Bhutan ranked 132 and China ranked 73 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (medium variant) puts Bhutan at 86.9 years and China at 89.8 years in 2100.
The world as a whole: 73.2 years in 2023.

Every year

years · UN

Year	Bhutan	China	World
2023	73	78	73.2
2022	72.8	78.2	72.6
2021	72.5	78.1	70.9
2020	72.3	78	71.9
2019	72	77.9	72.6
2018	71.7	77.7	72.4
2017	71.4	77.2	72.1
2016	71.1	77.2	71.9
2015	70.8	77	71.6
2014	70.5	76.7	71.4
2013	70.2	76.5	71.1
2012	69.8	76.2	70.8
2011	69.3	75.9	70.4
2010	68.8	75.7	70.1
2009	68.2	75.3	69.7
2008	67.7	74.8	69.3
2007	67.2	74.8	69
2006	66.5	74.4	68.6
2005	65.9	74.1	68.1
2004	65.3	73.7	67.7
2003	64.7	73.4	67.4
2002	64	73	67.1
2001	63.3	72.7	66.8
2000	61.8	72.3	66.4
1999	62	72	66
1998	61.3	71.6	65.7
1997	60.6	71.2	65.5
1996	60	70.8	65.2
1995	59.3	70.4	64.9
1994	58.4	69.8	64.3
1993	57.9	69.5	64.4
1992	57.2	69.1	64.3
1991	56.5	68.6	64.1
1990	55.8	68.2	64
1989	55.1	67.9	63.8
1988	54.4	67.6	63.4
1987	53.6	67.3	63.2
1986	52.8	66.9	62.7
1985	52	66.5	62.2
1984	51.3	66.2	61.9
1983	50.6	65.7	61.5
1982	49.8	65.3	61.3
1981	49	64.8	60.9
1980	48.2	64.2	60.5
1979	47.5	63.7	60.2
1978	46.7	63.1	59.5
1977	46	62.5	59.2
1976	45.2	61.2	58.6
1975	44.5	61	58.3
1974	43.8	60.2	58.1
1973	43.1	59.5	57.7
1972	42.5	58.6	57.2
1971	41.8	57.7	56
1970	41.2	56.8	56.3
1969	40.6	56	56
1968	40	55.2	55.6
1967	39.4	54.4	55.1
1966	38.8	53.7	54.6
1965	38.3	53	54
1964	37.8	52.3	54.3
1963	37.4	51.7	53.7
1962	37	51	53.2
1961	36.7	40.2	50.4
1960	36.4	33.4	47.8
1959	36.1	40.2	49.6
1958	35.9	48.8	51.6
1957	35.8	48.4	51.1
1956	35.6	47.8	50.7
1955	35.5	47.2	50.2
1954	35.4	46.8	49.7
1953	35.4	45.9	48.8
1952	35.4	45.3	48.2
1951	35.3	44.6	47.1
1950	35.3	43.8	46.4
1949	–	41	–
1942	–	37	–
1936	–	35	–
1934	–	34	–
1930	–	32	–

12.3Estimates, Our World in Data

UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100

Year	Bhutan	China	World
2024	73.372–74.5	7876.6–79.4	73.3
2025	73.571.7–75.2	78.476.6–80.1	73.5
2026	73.871.5–75.8	7977–80.9	73.8
2027	74.171.3–76.4	79.276.9–81.3	73.9
2028	74.371.3–77	79.476.9–81.7	74.1
2029	74.671.3–77.5	79.676.8–82	74.2
2030	74.871.4–78	79.876.8–82.5	74.4
2031	7571.5–78.4	8076.7–82.6	74.5
2032	75.371.5–78.8	80.277–83	74.7
2033	75.571.7–79	80.476.8–83.5	74.8
2034	75.771.7–79.4	80.677.1–83.8	75
2035	7671.7–79.9	80.877.1–84	75.1
2036	76.271.8–80.3	8177.1–84.3	75.3
2037	76.471.7–80.6	81.277.1–84.7	75.4
2038	76.671.9–81	81.477.2–84.9	75.5
2039	76.871.9–81.3	81.577.2–85.2	75.7
2040	77.172.1–81.7	81.777.4–85.4	75.8
2041	77.372.1–81.9	81.977.2–85.6	75.9
2042	77.572.4–82.4	82.177.4–85.8	76.1
2043	77.772.5–82.7	82.277.4–86.2	76.2
2044	77.972.5–83	82.477.5–86.3	76.3
2045	78.172.8–83.4	82.677.7–86.5	76.5
2046	78.372.8–83.6	82.777.7–86.8	76.6
2047	78.572.9–83.8	82.977.9–86.9	76.7
2048	78.772.8–83.9	83.177.7–87.1	76.8
2049	78.972.9–84.2	83.277.9–87.3	76.9
2050	79.172.9–84.4	83.477.9–87.5	77
2051	79.373–84.7	83.577.9–87.7	77.1
2052	79.573.1–85	83.778.2–88	77.2
2053	79.773.5–85.3	83.878.2–88.4	77.3
2054	79.973.6–85.4	8478.4–88.4	77.4
2055	8073.4–85.7	84.178.4–88.7	77.6
2056	80.273.4–85.9	84.378.8–89.1	77.7
2057	80.473.6–86.2	84.578.8–89.4	77.8
2058	80.673.8–86.4	84.679.1–89.6	77.9
2059	80.873.8–86.6	84.779–89.6	78
2060	8174.1–86.6	84.979.2–89.9	78.1
2061	81.273.9–87	8579.4–90	78.2
2062	81.374.2–87.3	85.279.4–90.2	78.3
2063	81.574.3–87.4	85.379.4–90.4	78.4
2064	81.774.4–87.6	85.579.7–90.5	78.5
2065	81.974.6–87.8	85.680–90.9	78.6
2066	8274.5–88	85.779.9–91.1	78.7
2067	82.274.7–88.1	85.980.1–91.2	78.8
2068	82.474.7–88.3	8680.1–91.5	78.9
2069	82.674.9–88.5	86.180.2–91.6	79
2070	82.775.1–88.8	86.380.4–91.7	79.1
2071	82.975.3–89.1	86.480.4–91.9	79.2
2072	83.175.5–89.4	86.580.5–92.2	79.3
2073	83.275.5–89.3	86.680.8–92.4	79.4
2074	83.475.4–89.5	86.881.1–92.7	79.4
2075	83.575.6–89.7	86.981.1–92.9	79.5
2076	83.775.7–90	8781.1–93.1	79.6
2077	83.876.1–90.2	87.181.2–93.2	79.7
2078	8476–90.3	87.381.5–93.5	79.8
2079	84.176.3–90.4	87.481.4–93.6	79.9
2080	84.376.4–90.5	87.581.5–93.8	80
2081	84.476.6–90.6	87.681.7–93.8	80.1
2082	84.676.6–90.6	87.781.9–94.1	80.2
2083	84.776.7–91	87.881.9–94.1	80.3
2084	84.976.8–91.1	8882.2–94.2	80.3
2085	8576.9–91.4	88.182.3–94.5	80.4
2086	85.177.2–91.4	88.282.4–94.7	80.5
2087	85.377.5–91.5	88.382.6–94.9	80.6
2088	85.477.6–91.8	88.482.7–95.1	80.7
2089	85.677.5–91.9	88.582.9–95.2	80.8
2090	85.777.8–92.2	88.783–95.3	80.9
2091	85.877.7–92.3	88.883–95.4	81
2092	85.977.9–92.7	88.983–95.7	81
2093	86.178–92.9	8982.9–95.9	81.1
2094	86.277.8–93.2	89.183–95.9	81.2
2095	86.377.9–93.2	89.283.1–96.2	81.3
2096	86.478–93.3	89.483.2–96.3	81.4
2097	86.678.2–93.4	89.583.3–96.5	81.5
2098	86.778.4–93.7	89.683.2–96.6	81.6
2099	86.878.5–93.8	89.783.4–96.9	81.7
2100	86.978.7–94.3	89.883.5–97.2	81.7

Each country on its own

Good to know

How long a newborn would live on average if the year’s death rates held all its life.
Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
Before 1950: Our World in Data, long-run life expectancy.
The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Bhutan vs China: Life expectancy

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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