Which country currently has the highest longevity and what is this generally attributed to? Also, which nation has the shortest average lifespan?
Executive summary
Monaco is reported as the country (micronation) with the highest average life expectancy—about 86.5–87 years in 2025—typically credited to extreme wealth, universal access to high‑quality healthcare, low crime and small population effects [1] [2] [3]. The shortest national averages cluster in sub‑Saharan Africa, with Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic among the lowest (mid‑50s years) in some 2025 visualizations; multiple sources place the bottom countries in Africa and name Chad, Central African Republic and Nigeria as examples [4] [5] [6].
1. Who tops the list — tiny states with big numbers
The 2025 UN‑based compilations and several data visualizations put Monaco at the top of the global life‑expectancy rankings, often showing an average around 86.5–87 years for a newborn [1] [2] [3]. Other small, affluent European microstates — San Marino, Liechtenstein — and wealthy East Asian territories such as Hong Kong and Macao also appear near the top in 2025 lists [1] [7] [2]. These rankings are strongly influenced by the special demographics of tiny jurisdictions: small populations mean that the health outcomes of relatively few people can sway national averages [8].
2. Why these places score so high — common explanations in the reporting
Analyses and visualizations attribute top rankings to a combination of factors: universal or broadly available high‑quality healthcare, high incomes and living standards, strong social safety nets, low crime rates, healthy diets and preventive medicine, and clean environments [1] [7] [9]. Commentators also point to cultural patterns — social connectedness, diet and active lifestyles — as part of the explanation for longevity in Japan, Hong Kong and some European countries [1] [7].
3. Who has the lowest life expectancy — Africa disproportionately represented
Multiple sources map the lowest life expectancies to sub‑Saharan Africa. VisualCapitalist’s and related 2025 graphics show that the bottom 20 are largely African countries; specific listings and maps cite Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic as among the lowest, with figures in the mid‑50s for some datasets [5] [4] [6]. Statista’s compilation (sourced to the Population Reference Bureau and UN data) confirms that the countries with the lowest averages are concentrated in Africa [6].
4. Why the low numbers — health systems, infectious disease, and structural drivers
Reporting links low national life expectancy to weak health systems, higher burdens of infectious diseases, limited access to clean water and nutrition, and broader development constraints. The sources emphasise that regional differences in mortality, data quality and the impact of diseases such as HIV/AIDS or recurring crises shape these outcomes [8] [6] [5].
5. How methodology and small populations change the story
Rankings differ by source because of methodology: UN projections, national statistical offices and private compilers use different years, population definitions (sovereign states vs. territories/regions) and adjustments. That explains why some lists exclude tiny territories (Wikipedia notes exclusions) while visualizations sometimes treat Hong Kong or Monaco as separate top entries [8] [2] [7]. Small populations with wealthy, healthy subgroups can push averages up; conversely, countries with large populations and internal disparities may not rank as high despite having long‑lived subpopulations [8] [7].
6. Competing perspectives and important caveats
Some outlets list Hong Kong, Japan or Liechtenstein at or near the top instead of Monaco depending on which dataset they use; others emphasise that global averages mask within‑country inequalities [7] [10] [8]. Sources differ on exact lowest‑rank countries: one map names Nigeria as lowest in a 2025 view, while other compilations highlight Chad or the Central African Republic — all indicate the same regional pattern [4] [5] [6]. The data depend heavily on the chosen year, the UN or national estimates, and whether non‑sovereign territories are included [8] [2].
7. Bottom line for readers
If you want a concise answer from available 2025 reporting: Monaco is repeatedly identified as the highest‑life‑expectancy jurisdiction (~86.5–87 years) and the lowest national averages are concentrated in sub‑Saharan Africa, with countries such as Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic shown among the lowest in several 2025 visualizations [2] [1] [4] [5] [6]. Remember that methodological choices, population size and within‑country inequality materially affect these headline rankings [8] [7].