Countries with the longest life expectancies REVEALED in interactive map

Given its nickname of the ‘billionaire’s playground’, chances are you’ll know about the lavish luxury on offer in Monaco.

But did you know the principality, famously so wealthy it doesn’t bother tracking poverty rates, also has the world’s highest life expectancy?

Babies born today in the 40,000-strong nation, sandwiched on the south coast of France, have a life expectancy of 85.9 years, data suggests. 

In contrast, the Republic of Chad, a country at the crossroads of north and central Africa, ranks bottom of the world’s league table.

The African country, one of the world’s poorest countries, has a life expectancy of just 52.5 years.

In fact, all 10 countries with the shortest life expectancy are in Africa, with Chad followed by Nigeria, Lesotho, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Somalia, Eswatini, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Mali. None are above 60.

An interactive map published by Our World in Data – which MailOnline app users can see by clicking here – illustrates the huge divide in life expectancy globally.

It uses the most up to date figures from the United Nations Population Division, which tracks how countries are developing.

After Monaco, the countries with the longest life expectancy at birth are Hong Kong (85.5), Macao (85.4), Japan (84.8) and Australia (84.5).

Rounding out the top 10 are Switzerland (84), Malta (83.8), South Korea (83.7), Liechtenstein (83.3) and Norway (83.2). 

Neither the UK or the US made it into the top 30, according to the league table.

The UK has a life expectancy of 80.7 years, putting it in 34th place.

And the US comes in far lower at 69th, with a life expectancy of just 77.2 years. 

Life expectancies have extended drastically across the world over the past few decades thanks to medical advances.

In contrast, the Republic of Chad (pictured), a country at the crossroads of north and central Africa, has the shortest life expectancy

This includes the introduction of vaccinations, antibiotics and increased sanitisation – which have wiped out many causes of early death.

In 1950, the average human expected to live until 46.5 years, but this soared to 71 by 2021. 

Health inequality has slightly improved also, as in 1950 the Republic of Mali in West Africa had a life expectancy of just 28.2 years, while Norway’s was 71.2 – a 43-year difference.

Yet in 2021, the gap between best and worst was 33.4 years.

A different map, showing the change in life expectancy between 1800, 1950 and 2015, illustrates the drastic global divide.

As the 19th century began, all countries are red, meaning none had a life expectancy of above 40 years.

A different map, showing the change in life expectancy between 1800, 1950 and 2015, illustrates the drastic global divide 

In 1950, some northern American and most European countries were green, meaning they had a life expectancy of more than 60, while countries in Africa and southern Asia were still red.

By 2015 there had been an increase globally in life expectancy, however huge inequalities remained. 

Canada and many central and northern European countries had surpassed a life expectancy of 80 years while many African countries were still in the 50s.

Life expectancy growth rates have slowed in high-income countries in recent years, which experts claim is related to people approaching the maximum age of human existence and cardiovascular disease remaining a leading cause of death. 

And since Covid, countries at both the top and bottom of the list saw their life expectancy fall, due to an ‘unprecedented rise in mortality’, according to a study by researchers from the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Institute. 

Monaco’s dropped from 86.5 years in 2019 to 85.9 in 2021.

And Mali’s fell from 53.3 years to 52.5 in the same time period.