Life expectancy in Afghanistan remained below thirty in the nineteenth century, and it was not until the mid-1900s that life expectancy increased at a significantly higher rate, and by 2020, Afghanistan's life expectancy is expected to be just over 64 years. A noticeable drop in life expectancy appeared between 1915 and 1920, as the Spanish Flu epidemic that swept the globe impacted the population of Afghanistan severely. (A second drop can be observed in the early 1950s, however this is due to contrasting sources, as more recent data from the UN becomes available). Despite continuous war in the country since the late 1970s, medical advancements have brought Afghanistan's life expectancy closer to the global average in recent decades.
Life expectancy (from birth) in Afghanistan from 1800 to 2020*
Characteristic
Life expectancy in years
2020
64.28
2015
62.32
2010
59.63
2005
57
2000
54.67
1995
51.96
1990
48.56
1985
44.97
1980
41.63
1975
38.74
1970
36.15
1965
33.74
1960**
31.13
1955
28.61
1950
31.88
1945
31.62
1940
31.32
1935
31.08
1930
30.78
1925
30.52
1920
25.76
1915
29.94
1910
29.68
1905
29.4
1900
29.12
1895
28.82
1890
28.54
1885
28.24
1880
27.96
1875
27.68
1870
27.5
1865
27.58
1860
27.6
1855
27.7
1850
27.7
1845
27.8
1840
27.8
1835
27.9
1830
27.9
1825
28
1820
28.02
1815
28.1
1810
28.12
1805
28.2
1800
28.2
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*All data given is an average of the preceding five year period.
**The drop 1955 is due to different sources that were used; Gapminder data was used until 1950, UN data was used from 1950 onwards.
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UN DESA, & Gapminder. (August 31, 2019). Life expectancy (from birth) in Afghanistan from 1800 to 2020* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1071000/life-expectancy-afghanistan-all-time/
UN DESA, und Gapminder. "Life expectancy (from birth) in Afghanistan from 1800 to 2020*." Chart. August 31, 2019. Statista. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1071000/life-expectancy-afghanistan-all-time/
UN DESA, Gapminder. (2019). Life expectancy (from birth) in Afghanistan from 1800 to 2020*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1071000/life-expectancy-afghanistan-all-time/
UN DESA, and Gapminder. "Life Expectancy (from Birth) in Afghanistan from 1800 to 2020*." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Aug 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1071000/life-expectancy-afghanistan-all-time/
UN DESA & Gapminder, Life expectancy (from birth) in Afghanistan from 1800 to 2020* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1071000/life-expectancy-afghanistan-all-time/ (last visited November 24, 2024)
Life expectancy (from birth) in Afghanistan from 1800 to 2020* [Graph], UN DESA, & Gapminder, August 31, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1071000/life-expectancy-afghanistan-all-time/