World 8.2bn peopleGDP $118tnLife expectancy 73.5 yrsOnline 73.6%
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Health · World Bank income group

Health in low-income countries: how the countries rank

Life expectancy, child and maternal mortality, health spending, water and sanitation. 18 indicators for the 25 economies in the low income group, ranked within the group; the group figure is the World Bank aggregate.

Life expectancy65.2 yrslow-income countries, 2024 · world 73.5 yrsLife expectancy, women67.7 yrslow-income countries, 2024 · world 76.0 yrsLife expectancy, men62.8 yrslow-income countries, 2024 · world 71.1 yrsInfant mortality46.7low-income countries, 2024 · world 27.7Under-5 mortality68.8low-income countries, 2024 · world 37.4Neonatal mortality24.9low-income countries, 2024 · world 17.2Maternal mortality346low-income countries, 2023 · world 197Measles vaccination67%low-income countries, 2024 · world 84%
Life expectancy
low-income countriesWorldlower-middle-income countriesupper-middle-income countrieshigh-income countries
5060708090199520002005201020152020low-income countries65.2 yrsWorldlower-middle-income countriesupper-middle-income countrieshigh-income countries
Life expectancy, women
low-income countriesWorldlower-middle-income countriesupper-middle-income countrieshigh-income countries
5060708090199520002005201020152020low-income countries67.7 yrsWorldlower-middle-income countriesupper-middle-income countrieshigh-income countries
countries

All 25 economies, health

Latest value and rank within the group (small figure). Click a column to sort; the country name opens its health profile.

25 shown
CountryLife expectancyLife expectancy, womenLife expectancy, menInfant mortalityUnder-5 mortalityNeonatal mortalityMaternal mortalityMeasles vaccination
North Korea73.7 yrs#1 · 202475.9 yrs#1 · 202471.6 yrs#1 · 202413.3#25 · 202416.7#25 · 20248.9#25 · 202467#24 · 202399%#1 · 2024
Syria72.6 yrs#2 · 202474.9 yrs#2 · 202470.2 yrs#2 · 202417.7#24 · 202418.4#24 · 20249.5#24 · 202420#25 · 202381%#12 · 2024
Yemen69.4 yrs#3 · 202471.5 yrs#3 · 202467.4 yrs#3 · 202433.8#19 · 202438.1#21 · 202420.9#20 · 2024118#22 · 202341%#25 · 2024
Eritrea68.9 yrs#4 · 202470.9 yrs#6 · 202466.8 yrs#4 · 202424.7#23 · 202434.3#23 · 202415.6#23 · 2024291#15 · 202393%#3 · 2024
Uganda68.5 yrs#5 · 202471.4 yrs#4 · 202465.5 yrs#6 · 202435.9#17 · 202448.7#17 · 202421.3#19 · 2024170#21 · 202390%#5 · 2024
Rwanda68.0 yrs#6 · 202470.1 yrs#8 · 202465.7 yrs#5 · 202429.4#22 · 202437.7#22 · 202417.4#22 · 2024229#18 · 202397%#2 · 2024
Ethiopia67.6 yrs#7 · 202471.0 yrs#5 · 202464.4 yrs#8 · 202434.5#18 · 202444.5#19 · 202425.2#11 · 2024195#20 · 202372%#13 · 2024
Malawi67.6 yrs#8 · 202470.8 yrs#7 · 202464.3 yrs#10 · 202438.0#16 · 202448.8#16 · 202423.6#16 · 2024225#19 · 202389%#6 · 2024
Sudan66.5 yrs#9 · 202469.8 yrs#9 · 202463.4 yrs#11 · 202442.9#14 · 202461.6#13 · 202423.7#14 · 2024256#16 · 202346%#23 · 2024
Afghanistan66.3 yrs#10 · 202467.8 yrs#10 · 202464.7 yrs#7 · 202448.3#9 · 202453.0#15 · 202433.1#3 · 2024521#6 · 202355%#20 · 2024
The Gambia66.1 yrs#11 · 202467.8 yrs#11 · 202464.3 yrs#9 · 202432.7#20 · 202442.4#20 · 202423.0#18 · 2024354#13 · 202383%#9 · 2024
Guinea-Bissau64.3 yrs#12 · 202466.5 yrs#13 · 202461.8 yrs#13 · 202442.1#15 · 202467.3#11 · 202432.0#6 · 2024505#7 · 202365%#17 · 2024
Madagascar63.8 yrs#13 · 202465.6 yrs#15 · 202462.1 yrs#12 · 202443.0#13 · 202462.4#12 · 202423.1#17 · 2024445#8 · 202346%#22 · 2024
Burundi63.8 yrs#14 · 202465.9 yrs#14 · 202461.8 yrs#14 · 202430.5#21 · 202447.1#18 · 202419.1#21 · 2024392#10 · 202386%#8 · 2024
Mozambique63.8 yrs#15 · 202466.7 yrs#12 · 202460.5 yrs#17 · 202443.7#11 · 202459.4#14 · 202425.1#12 · 202499#23 · 202365%#18 · 2024
Liberia62.3 yrs#16 · 202463.6 yrs#18 · 202461.0 yrs#15 · 202463.2#4 · 202486.4#8 · 202432.9#4 · 2024628#4 · 202382%#10 · 2024
Democratic Republic of the Congo62.1 yrs#17 · 202464.2 yrs#16 · 202460.0 yrs#19 · 202456.4#6 · 202489.7#7 · 202423.6#15 · 2024427#9 · 202355%#21 · 2024
Sierra Leone62.0 yrs#18 · 202463.7 yrs#17 · 202460.2 yrs#18 · 202454.6#8 · 202490.5#5 · 202428.3#9 · 2024354#12 · 202390%#4 · 2024
Niger61.4 yrs#19 · 202462.4 yrs#20 · 202460.5 yrs#16 · 202465.6#2 · 2024110.7#1 · 202432.8#5 · 2024350#14 · 202381%#11 · 2024
Burkina Faso61.3 yrs#20 · 202463.4 yrs#19 · 202459.1 yrs#21 · 202443.6#12 · 202474.9#9 · 202423.8#13 · 2024242#17 · 202388%#7 · 2024
Mali60.7 yrs#21 · 202462.1 yrs#21 · 202459.3 yrs#20 · 202447.5#10 · 202473.0#10 · 202428.0#10 · 2024367#11 · 202372%#14 · 2024
Somalia59.0 yrs#22 · 202461.6 yrs#22 · 202456.5 yrs#22 · 202465.4#3 · 2024101.1#2 · 202434.2#2 · 2024563#5 · 202364%#19 · 2024
South Sudan57.7 yrs#23 · 202460.7 yrs#23 · 202454.8 yrs#24 · 202471.9#1 · 202496.7#4 · 202439.5#1 · 2024692#3 · 202372%#15 · 2024
Central African Republic57.7 yrs#24 · 202459.6 yrs#24 · 202455.5 yrs#23 · 202458.8#5 · 202489.7#6 · 202429.9#8 · 2024692#2 · 202341%#24 · 2024
Chad55.2 yrs#25 · 202457.2 yrs#25 · 202453.4 yrs#25 · 202456.3#7 · 202497.3#3 · 202430.4#7 · 2024748#1 · 202366%#16 · 2024
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)Ranks count group members with a value in the recent window.
within the group

Highest and lowest, indicator by indicator

Life expectancy25 countries
  1. 1North Korea73.7 yrs2024
  2. 2Syria72.6 yrs2024
  3. 3Yemen69.4 yrs2024
Lowest
  1. 25Chad55.2 yrs2024
  2. 24Central African Republic57.7 yrs2024
  3. 23South Sudan57.7 yrs2024
Median country 63.8 yrs · group 65.2 yrs
Life expectancy, women25 countries
  1. 1North Korea75.9 yrs2024
  2. 2Syria74.9 yrs2024
  3. 3Yemen71.5 yrs2024
Lowest
  1. 25Chad57.2 yrs2024
  2. 24Central African Republic59.6 yrs2024
  3. 23South Sudan60.7 yrs2024
Median country 66.5 yrs · group 67.7 yrs
Life expectancy, men25 countries
  1. 1North Korea71.6 yrs2024
  2. 2Syria70.2 yrs2024
  3. 3Yemen67.4 yrs2024
Lowest
  1. 25Chad53.4 yrs2024
  2. 24South Sudan54.8 yrs2024
  3. 23Central African Republic55.5 yrs2024
Median country 61.8 yrs · group 62.8 yrs
Infant mortality25 countries
  1. 1South Sudan71.92024
  2. 2Niger65.62024
  3. 3Somalia65.42024
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea13.32024
  2. 24Syria17.72024
  3. 23Eritrea24.72024
Median country 43.0 · group 46.7
Under-5 mortality25 countries
  1. 1Niger110.72024
  2. 2Somalia101.12024
  3. 3Chad97.32024
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea16.72024
  2. 24Syria18.42024
  3. 23Eritrea34.32024
Median country 61.6 · group 68.8
Neonatal mortality25 countries
  1. 1South Sudan39.52024
  2. 2Somalia34.22024
  3. 3Afghanistan33.12024
Lowest
  1. 25North Korea8.92024
  2. 24Syria9.52024
  3. 23Eritrea15.62024
Median country 23.8 · group 24.9
Maternal mortality25 countries
  1. 1Chad7482023
  2. 2Central African Republic6922023
  3. 3South Sudan6922023
Lowest
  1. 25Syria202023
  2. 24North Korea672023
  3. 23Mozambique992023
Median country 354 · group 346
Measles vaccination25 countries
  1. 1North Korea99%2024
  2. 2Rwanda97%2024
  3. 3Eritrea93%2024
Lowest
  1. 25Yemen41%2024
  2. 24Central African Republic41%2024
  3. 23Sudan46%2024
Median country 72% · group 67%
HIV prevalence24 countries
  1. 1Mozambique11.5%2024
  2. 2Malawi6.2%2024
  3. 3Uganda4.9%2024
Lowest
  1. 24Yemen0.1%2024
  2. 23Syria0.1%2024
  3. 22Somalia0.1%2024
Median country 0.8% · group 1.6%
Tuberculosis24 countries
  1. 1Central African Republic4192024
  2. 2Democratic Republic of the Congo3772024
  3. 3Sierra Leone3722024
Lowest
  1. 24Syria232024
  2. 23Yemen402024
  3. 22Sudan472024
Median country 140 · group 199
Health spending24 countries
  1. 1Afghanistan15.0%2023
  2. 2Liberia13.0%2023
  3. 3South Sudan11.6%2023
Lowest
  1. 24Syria2.7%2023
  2. 23Ethiopia2.8%2023
  3. 22Sudan2.9%2023
Median country 4.9% · group 4.6%
Out-of-pocket spending24 countries
  1. 1Afghanistan77.1%2023
  2. 2Syria72.4%2023
  3. 3Yemen69.1%2023
Lowest
  1. 24Rwanda4.1%2023
  2. 23Mozambique10.4%2023
  3. 22Malawi12.0%2023
Median country 45.6% · group 44.5%
Physicians22 countries
  1. 1Syria1.522021
  2. 2Afghanistan0.322023
  3. 3Guinea-Bissau0.252022
Lowest
  1. 22Niger0.042023
  2. 21South Sudan0.042022
  3. 20Malawi0.052022
Median country 0.14 · group 0.34
Hospital beds22 countries
  1. 1North Korea12.82018
  2. 2Liberia1.62021
  3. 3Syria1.42021
Lowest
  1. 22Chad0.12020
  2. 21Burkina Faso0.22020
  3. 20Mali0.22018
Median country 0.7
Basic water24 countries
  1. 1Syria94.1%2024
  2. 2North Korea93.9%2023
  3. 3The Gambia87.1%2024
Lowest
  1. 24Democratic Republic of the Congo35.7%2024
  2. 23Central African Republic36.5%2024
  3. 22South Sudan39.7%2024
Median country 65.4% · group 60.3%
Basic sanitation24 countries
  1. 1Syria95.6%2024
  2. 2North Korea84.8%2023
  3. 3Rwanda81.3%2024
Lowest
  1. 24Ethiopia10.4%2024
  2. 23Chad13.1%2024
  3. 22Central African Republic14.0%2024
Median country 35.2% · group 33.3%
Tobacco use18 countries
  1. 1Madagascar25.6%2024
  2. 2Afghanistan22.1%2024
  3. 3North Korea15.6%2024
Lowest
  1. 18Liberia5.2%2024
  2. 17Ethiopia5.2%2024
  3. 16Niger7.4%2024
Median country 10.1% · group 10.9%
Road deaths25 countries
  1. 1Liberia38.92019
  2. 2Eritrea37.92019
  3. 3Central African Republic37.72019
Lowest
  1. 25Syria14.92019
  2. 24Afghanistan15.92019
  3. 23Mali22.72019
Median country 29.6 · group 28.7
more

Other topics in low-income countries

Low income: overview
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