The Extraordinary Rise

The trajectory is almost hard to believe: from 43.7 years in 1960 to 78.2 in 2023. Economic growth, improved nutrition, expanded healthcare access, mass vaccination and a sharp fall in infectious disease all compounded.

China now approaches Western European levels and has overtaken many middle-income countries. It is one of the great public-health stories of the modern era.

The Urban-Rural Divide

The national figure averages two very different Chinas. Residents of Shanghai and Beijing live past 83 years — on par with Japan — while rural inland provinces remain more than a decade behind.

Healthcare access, income, and pollution exposure all drive this internal gap, which mirrors the same inequality patterns seen globally.

The Smoking Challenge

China has the world's largest tobacco market — more than 300 million smokers, overwhelmingly male. This single factor is the main driver of the 5.6-year gender gap.

Male smoking rates remain above 50%, and on current trends this is projected to cause a million additional deaths a year by 2030 unless rates fall.

Air Pollution's Toll and Improvement

Rapid industrialisation created severe air-quality problems, with PM2.5 exposure estimated to cut 2-3 years of life in the most polluted areas.

The trend is now improving as clean-air policies take effect — Beijing's PM2.5 levels have fallen more than 50% since 2013. See how your own habits shift your forecast with the Life Expectancy Calculator.