Life Expectancy in Ethiopia (2024): Men 64.4, Women 71.0

Life expectancy in Ethiopia since 1960

Women
Men

Since 1960, life expectancy in Ethiopia has risen by 28.0 years, from 39.6 to 67.6. Women live 6.6 years longer than men (71.0 vs 64.4).

Expected age at death in Ethiopia by age

Life expectancy at birth includes deaths in childhood. Once people reach adulthood they can expect to live longer — here is the average expected age at death for people who have already reached each age:

Current age	Birth	20	40	60	80
Men	64.4	67.9	69.1	72.8	83.3
Women	71.0	74.8	75.7	78.1	85.7

Birth: World Bank. Other ages: our survival model calibrated to Ethiopia’s figures (method).

How people die in Ethiopia

Chronic diseases: 40.3%
Infections, maternal & nutritional: 49.2%
Injuries: 10.5%

In 2019, 40% of deaths in Ethiopia were caused by chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes (world: 74%). A Ethiopia man has a 16% chance and a woman 17% of dying of one of these diseases between the ages of 30 and 70 (world: 21% and 16%). Road traffic accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 each year (world: 16.7).

See which causes of death are most likely for you →

Child mortality

Out of every 1,000 babies born in Ethiopia, about 44.5 die before their fifth birthday (world: 37.4). This is one of the main reasons life expectancy at birth differs so much between countries.

Ethiopia compared with its region

Ethiopia is in the World Bank’s Sub-Saharan Africa region, where the average life expectancy is 64.8 years. It ranks #12 of 48 countries there.

#	Country	Overall	Men	Women
8	Mauritania	68.7	66.7	70.7
9	Gabon	68.5	66.1	71.2
10	Uganda	68.5	65.5	71.4
11	Rwanda	68.0	65.7	70.1
12	Ethiopia	67.6	64.4	71.0
13	Malawi	67.6	64.3	70.8
14	Namibia	67.5	63.5	71.5
15	Tanzania	67.2	64.4	70.0
16	Comoros	67.0	65.0	69.2

See all 217 countries ranked →

Frequently asked questions

What is the life expectancy in Ethiopia?

67.6 years in 2024: 64.4 for men and 71.0 for women, according to the World Bank.

Do women live longer than men in Ethiopia?

Yes. Women in Ethiopia live about 6.6 years longer than men. Worldwide the gap is 4.9 years in favour of women.

How does Ethiopia rank for life expectancy?

Ethiopia ranks #170 out of 217 countries and territories with data. That is 5.9 years below the world average of 73.5.

What is the average age of death in Ethiopia?

Life expectancy at birth (67.6) is pulled down by deaths in childhood. Adults live longer: a 40-year-old man in Ethiopia can expect to live to about 69.1, and a 40-year-old woman to about 75.7.

Sources

World Bank, World Development Indicators: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN, SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN), under-5 mortality (SH.DYN.MORT), causes of death (SH.DTH.NCOM.ZS, SH.DTH.INJR.ZS), mortality from major chronic diseases (SH.DYN.NCOM.MA.ZS, SH.DYN.NCOM.FE.ZS) and road traffic deaths (SH.STA.TRAF.P5). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Link

Data updated October 25, 2026.