The average lifespan of a woman worldwide is approximately 73.8 years, based on 2021 global estimates. That’s about five years longer than the average for men, who live to roughly 68.4 years. This gap exists in virtually every country on Earth and has persisted for as long as reliable records have been kept.
Where Women Live the Longest
Global averages mask enormous variation between countries. Women in Japan have the highest life expectancy in the world at 87.1 years, followed closely by women in Hong Kong at 86.8 years, both as of 2022. Other top-ranking places include South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Australia, where women routinely live into their mid-to-late 80s.
At the other end of the spectrum, women in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa have life expectancies in the mid-50s to low 60s, driven largely by infectious disease, maternal mortality, and limited healthcare access. The difference between the highest and lowest countries spans roughly 30 years, a gap that reflects economic development, nutrition, sanitation, and healthcare infrastructure far more than genetics.
Why Women Outlive Men
The five-year gap between female and male life expectancy isn’t random. It comes down to a combination of biology and behavior, with biology setting the foundation and lifestyle choices widening the gap further.
Hormonal Protection
Estrogen gives women a significant cardiovascular advantage during their reproductive years. The hormone helps regulate blood vessel function, supports healthy blood flow, and acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing damaging molecules called free radicals and reducing oxidative stress on the heart and arteries. This is a major reason heart disease tends to strike women about 10 years later than men on average. After menopause, when estrogen levels drop, women’s cardiovascular risk climbs. The decline in estrogen contributes to stiffer blood vessels, changes in heart tissue, and reduced ability to recover from restricted blood flow.
A Genetic Backup System
Women carry two X chromosomes, while men carry one X and one Y. This gives women a built-in redundancy: if a gene on one X chromosome is flawed, the corresponding gene on the other X can compensate. Women’s cells essentially select the better-functioning X chromosome and deactivate the weaker one. Men don’t have this option. A harmful mutation on their single X chromosome has no backup, which makes them more vulnerable to certain genetic conditions and contributes to higher mortality rates even in infancy and childhood.
Behavioral Differences
Biology doesn’t explain the entire gap. Men are more likely to smoke, drink heavily, and work in physically dangerous occupations. They’re also more likely to die from accidents, violence, and suicide. In countries where these behavioral differences are smaller, the life expectancy gap between men and women tends to narrow, though it never fully closes.
Living Longer Doesn’t Always Mean Living Healthier
One of the more sobering realities behind these numbers is that women’s extra years aren’t all spent in good health. Across OECD countries, a 60-year-old woman can expect about 18.3 healthy years ahead of her, compared to 16.2 for a man of the same age. Women live longer overall, but they also spend more years managing chronic conditions like arthritis, osteoporosis, and dementia.
By age 65, women in developed countries can expect to live about 3.4 years longer than men. But a significant portion of that additional time involves some degree of disability or reduced quality of life. This distinction between total lifespan and healthy lifespan matters enormously for planning retirement, long-term care, and financial security.
How Female Life Expectancy Has Changed Over Time
A century ago, the average woman in most countries didn’t live past her 50s. The dramatic increase since then is driven almost entirely by reductions in infant and childhood mortality, better nutrition, antibiotics, vaccines, and improved maternal healthcare. In wealthy nations, gains in recent decades have come increasingly from keeping older adults alive longer through treatments for heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
Progress hasn’t been perfectly steady. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily reversed life expectancy gains in many countries, with global figures dipping in 2020 and 2021. Most countries have since recovered or nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but the disruption was a reminder that these numbers reflect population-level conditions, not biological destiny. Where you live, what you eat, whether you have access to healthcare, and how you manage stress all shape where your own lifespan falls relative to the average.