Many African countries are living significantly longer today than they were at the turn of the century, with the biggest gains coming from countries that had some of the lowest life expectancy levels in 2000.
Between 2000 and 2024, Malawi added 21.4 years to life expectancy at birth, the largest increase on the continent. Rwanda followed with 20.2 years, while Zambia added 20.0 years. Uganda and Angola also recorded gains above 18 years.
Africa as a whole gained an average of 10.6 years over the period, nearly double the global gain of 5.8 years. However, the improvement was uneven. While the top 15 African countries added at least 13.7 years, Nigeria gained 7.5 years, rising from 47.1 years in 2000 to 54.6 years in 2024.
Despite the progress, Nigeria’s 2024 life expectancy remained well below Africa’s average of 65.7 years and far behind several top improvers, including Botswana, Uganda, Rwanda and Malawi, all of which were above 67 years by 2024.
