Life Expectancy at Birth in Ethiopia: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

At MYRIAD, we examine the statistics of human lives to understand the shape of our shared existence. Life expectancy at birth measures how many years a newborn could expect to live, given the mortality of the time and place. For Ethiopia, this metric reveals a profound transformation in human survival across three centuries, where every recorded value is a statistical fact about the lives actually lived there.

In the 1800s estimate, life expectancy hovered at 27.7 years, ticking upward through the decades to reach 29 years in the 1900s estimate. The pace of change accelerated in the latter half of the twentieth century, rising from 37.63 in the 1950s through subsequent decades to 66.6 years in the 2020s, where it currently ranks #117 of 157 countries. Projections suggest this trajectory will continue upward, reaching 75 in the 2090s projection and 76.2 in the 2100s projection.

If you were born in Ethiopia across this timeline, the horizon of your days has shifted dramatically from fewer than three decades to nearly seven, with future generations projected to see even greater longevity. As you trace these decades, consider how time itself has expanded for the newborns of each successive era.

Where do YOU rank among everyone ever born? →