Top 10 African Countries With the Lowest Life Expectancy, 2024

There are various factors that influence life expectancy, including diet, public health, medical care, economic circumstances, gender differences, crime rate, wars etc. With that said, it comes as no surprise that most African countries are plagued with low life expectancy. According to world population review, these are the top 10 African Countries With The Lowest Life Expectancy.

Top 10 African Countries With the Lowest Life Expectancy, 2024

10. Equitorial Guinea (59.5)

Male – 58
Female – 60

Equatorial Guinea has the tenth-lowest life expectancy in Africa. Males born in Equitorial Guinea can expect to live for about 58 years and women can expect to live for about 60 years. The low life expectancy is as a result of poor health care, poverty and hunger.

9. Guinea-Bissau (59.06)

Male – 57
Female – 61

Guinea-Bissau has been plagued by political instability since it became independent in 1974, resulting in a lack of development and high levels of poverty. Food insecurity also contributes to the major challenge of undernutrition, which is also caused by inadequate health services, poor water and sanitation, inadequate infant and young child feeding practices, and high illiteracy rates among women.

Burundi has the 9th lowest life expectancy in Africa. The average life expectancy for females in the country is 61 years and 57 for males.

8. South Sudan (58.4)

Male – 56.9
FeMale – 60

South Sudan officially known as the Republic of South has the eighth lowest life expectancy in Africa, the country’s average life expectancy is 58.4 years. Women are expected to live about 60 years and men are expected to live about 56.9 years.

South Sudan is acknowledged to have some of the worst health indicators in the world. The under-five infant mortality rate is 135.3 per 1,000, whilst maternal mortality is one of the highest in the world at 2,053.9 per 100,000 live births.

7. Côte d’Ivoire (58.4)

Male – 57.2
FeMale – 59.8

Another West African country, Côte d’Ivoire has a relatively high income per capita but in terms of healthcare, it still has a lot to work on. Additionally, Ivory Coast has a generalized HIV epidemic with the highest prevalence rate in the West African region.

Côte d’Ivoire has the seventh-lowest life expectancy of 58.4 years. This is about 59.8 years for females and 57.2 years for males.

6. Somalia (58.06)

Male – 56
FeMale – 59

Located in Eastern Africa, Somalia is a poor, mid-sized country notorious for war and unrests as a number of armed factions have been competing for influence in the country. Somalia’s public healthcare system almost non-existent (especially in rural areas), leaving most of its population without access to basic healthcare and medical services.

The country currently has the sixth lowest life expectancy in Africa. Somalia’s average life expectancy is 57.5 years. Women are expected to live about 59.8 years and men are expected to live about 56.3 years.

5. Sierra Leone (55.55)

Male – 54.5
FeMale – 56.4

A small West African country, Sierra Leone has been affected by the Sierra Leone Civil War (1991 – 2002) that left more than 50,000 people dead, much of the country’s infrastructure destroyed, and over 2 million people displaced. Although the country has made notable progress since the end of its civil war in 2002, many people still live below the poverty line, and unemployment is still rife, especially among young people.

Sierra Leone has the fifth lowest life expectancy jn Africa of 54.8 years. Unsurprisingly, women have a high life expectancy than men, as they are expected to live 56.4 years while men are expected to live 54.5 years.

4. Nigeria (54.8)

Male – 54.5
FeMale – 56.4

Nigeria’s average life expectancy is 54.8 years, which is 56.4 years for women and 54.5 for men. With its 200 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. Unfortunately, only half of the population has access to potable water and appropriate sanitation, which – combined with widespread sectarian violence and other socio-pathogenic problems – has resulted in a very low average life expectancy.

3. Lesotho (54.3)

Male – 52
FeMale – 58

Completely surrounded by South Africa, Lesotho is a small country with just over 2 million inhabitants. In this country, HIV/AIDS prevalence and gun violence is one of the biggest problems.

With the third lowest life expectancy in Africa, Citizens of Lesotho can expect to live 54.3 years on average. This is 58.4 years for women and 52 years for men.

2. Chad (54.8)

Male – 53.3
FeMale – 56.3

Chad’s life expectancy is the second lowest in Africa. Women in Chad can expect to live an average of 53.3 years and men can expect to live 53.3 years. This averages out to a life expectancy of 54.8 years for Chad.

Plagued by political violence and recurrent attempted coups d’état, Chad is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world. Chad’s cities face serious difficulties of municipal infrastructure; only 48% of urban residents have access to potable water and only 2% to basic sanitation. People living in rural areas are even worse off as they often lack even food and basic every-day supplies.

1. Central African Republic (53.3)

Male – 51.2
FeMale – 56.8

One of the poorest countries in the world, Central African Republic has the lowest life expectancy in Africa at 53.3. Women are expected to live longer than men in CAR, with an average life expectancy of 56.2 years vs. 51.8 years for men.

Top 10 African Countries With the Lowest Life Expectancy, 2024