Japan vs South Korea Life Expectancy Comparison (2024)

Name: Japan vs South Korea Life Expectancy Historical World Bank Dataset
Creator: World Bank Open Data

Japan vs South Korea All Annual Observations (1960 – 2024)

Complete annual observations of Life Expectancy at Birth for Japan and South Korea reported by World Bank.

Year	🇯🇵 Japan Life Expectancy	🇰🇷 South Korea Life Expectancy	Difference / Gap
2024	84.04 years	83.63 years	0.41 years
2023	84.04 years	83.43 years	0.61 years
2022	84.00 years	82.68 years	1.32 years
2021	84.45 years	83.53 years	0.92 years
2020	84.56 years	83.43 years	1.13 years
2019	84.36 years	83.23 years	1.13 years
2018	84.21 years	82.63 years	1.58 years
2017	84.10 years	82.63 years	1.47 years
2016	83.98 years	82.28 years	1.71 years
2015	83.79 years	82.02 years	1.77 years
2014	83.59 years	81.72 years	1.87 years
2013	83.33 years	81.27 years	2.06 years
2012	83.10 years	80.82 years	2.28 years
2011	82.59 years	80.57 years	2.02 years
2010	82.84 years	80.12 years	2.73 years
2009	82.93 years	79.97 years	2.96 years
2008	82.59 years	79.52 years	3.07 years
2007	82.51 years	79.12 years	3.39 years
2006	82.32 years	78.67 years	3.65 years
2005	81.96 years	78.17 years	3.79 years
2004	82.03 years	77.67 years	4.36 years
2003	81.76 years	77.21 years	4.55 years
2002	81.69 years	76.77 years	4.92 years
2001	81.42 years	76.41 years	5.00 years
2000	81.08 years	75.91 years	5.17 years
1999	80.46 years	75.41 years	5.05 years
1998	80.50 years	75.00 years	5.50 years
1997	80.42 years	74.60 years	5.82 years
1996	80.22 years	74.15 years	6.07 years
1995	79.54 years	73.70 years	5.84 years
1994	79.70 years	73.40 years	6.30 years
1993	79.30 years	73.00 years	6.31 years
1992	79.08 years	72.50 years	6.58 years
1991	79.04 years	72.05 years	6.99 years
1990	78.84 years	71.60 years	7.24 years
1989	78.77 years	71.05 years	7.72 years
1988	78.35 years	70.55 years	7.80 years
1987	78.43 years	70.00 years	8.43 years
1986	78.01 years	69.45 years	8.56 years
1985	77.56 years	68.80 years	8.77 years
1984	77.29 years	68.20 years	9.10 years
1983	76.92 years	67.55 years	9.38 years
1982	76.87 years	67.10 years	9.78 years
1981	76.39 years	66.55 years	9.85 years
1980	75.99 years	66.05 years	9.94 years
1979	76.11 years	65.55 years	10.56 years
1978	75.58 years	65.20 years	10.39 years
1977	75.26 years	64.90 years	10.36 years
1976	74.69 years	64.50 years	10.18 years
1975	74.25 years	64.15 years	10.09 years
1974	73.67 years	63.80 years	9.87 years
1973	73.30 years	63.41 years	9.89 years
1972	73.15 years	63.01 years	10.14 years
1971	72.81 years	62.61 years	10.20 years
1970	71.92 years	62.16 years	9.76 years
1969	71.86 years	61.48 years	10.38 years
1968	71.61 years	60.94 years	10.67 years
1967	71.47 years	60.93 years	10.54 years
1966	70.92 years	55.52 years	15.39 years
1965	70.27 years	55.86 years	14.40 years
1964	70.21 years	55.39 years	14.81 years
1963	69.71 years	55.03 years	14.69 years
1962	68.63 years	55.05 years	13.58 years
1961	68.35 years	54.48 years	13.88 years
1960	67.70 years	53.80 years	13.90 years

Life Expectancy Comparison

• Current Leader: In 2024, Japan recorded Life Expectancy of 84.04 years, while South Korea recorded 83.63 years, a difference of 0.41 years.

• 1960 Baseline: Japan stood at 67.70 years and South Korea stood at 53.80 years.

• 2000–2024 Trajectory: Japan moved to 84.04 years (+3.7% since 2000), while South Korea moved to 83.63 years (+10.2% since 2000).

Historical Trends

Over the available reporting period from 1960 to 2024, Japan and South Korea followed distinct developmental paths. In 1960, Japan recorded 67.70 years compared to 53.80 years for South Korea. By 2024, the values evolved to 84.04 years and 83.63 years respectively.

Key Differences

• Absolute Gap: Difference in 2024 is 0.41 years.

• Highest Observed Year: Peak observed was 84.04 years (Japan in 2024).

• Growth Trajectory: Since 2000, Japan achieved +3.7% since 2000, while South Korea achieved +10.2% since 2000.

About Life Expectancy at Birth

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing mortality patterns stay constant.

This comparison uses standardized data from World Bank Open Data. Historical records allow analysts to trace long-term development trajectories for Japan and South Korea.

Frequently Asked Questions — Life Expectancy

What is the Life Expectancy of Japan?

In 2024, Japan's Life Expectancy was 84.04 years according to official World Bank data.

What is the Life Expectancy of South Korea?

In 2024, South Korea's Life Expectancy was 83.63 years according to official World Bank data.

Which country has a higher Life Expectancy?

In 2024, Japan recorded a higher Life Expectancy of 84.04 years compared to South Korea's 83.63 years (a difference of 0.41 years).

How has Life Expectancy changed over time for Japan and South Korea?

From 2000 to 2024, Japan's Life Expectancy changed by +3.7% since 2000, while South Korea's changed by +10.2% since 2000.

Explore Japan vs South Korea Interactively

Use TradeSeekho Growth Explorer to customize time ranges, play animated timeline visualizations, and compare Japan and South Korea across Population, Health, Education, and Technology metrics.

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Data Source and Methodology

Source: World Bank Open Data. Indicator Code: SP.DYN.LE00.IN (Life Expectancy at Birth). Values represent annual life expectancy at birth for Japan and South Korea from 1960 through 2024. Missing reporting years are omitted without converting missing values to zero.