Average Life Expectancy in India and Indian States
Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2017/05/14 - Updated: 2020/11/15
Category Topic: Calculators - Charts - Related Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Statistics showing average life expectancy age for men and women in India at birth, by states, and rural and urban areas. Kerala recorded the highest life expectancy at birth for both males and females in rural areas, Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest for males in urban areas, and Jammu and Kashmir for females in urban areas.
Introduction
Life expectancy in India has increased by more than ten years in the past twenty years. However, life expectancy in India still falls short of most developed and developing nations; the infant mortality rate is three times higher than China's and seven times higher than the U.S.
Main Content
The World Health Organization (WHO), defines life expectancy as; "the average number of years a person is expected to live on the basis of the current mortality rates and prevalence distribution of health states in a population".
The supply of clean drinking water and better control of non-communicable diseases are playing major roles in the increasing average lifespan of people in India - it was only a century ago that the average lifespan in India and South Korea was as low as 23 years. Life-threatening diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough have been eliminated completely, and India has also been recently declared a polio free nation. However, it is estimated that 20% of deaths among Indian males aged between 30 and 69 is attributable to the use of tobacco. As yet, India has found no remedy to some of the new issues that accompany civilization.
Almost all Indian States recorded a higher life expectancy for females in 2010-14 across both rural and urban areas.
- Kerala recorded the highest life expectancy at birth for both males and females in rural areas, Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest for males in urban areas, and Jammu and Kashmir for females in urban areas.
- The lowest life expectancy at birth was recorded in the State of Madhya Pradesh for rural males and Assam for rural females.
- In Urban, the lowest life expectancy at birth was recorded in Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh for males and females respectively.
Also see our Average Life Span Expectancy Chart - a list of male and female lifespan expectant averages by country and average age to death.
The chart below shows life expectancy at birth, sex, and residence, in the larger Indian states for the period 2010-14. The statistics include total population as well as male and female components.
| Life Expectancy in India and Larger States (2010-14) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Rural | Urban | |||||||
| Total | Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | |
| India | 67.9 | 66.4 | 69.6 | 66.7 | 65.1 | 68.4 | 71.5 | 70.0 | 73.2 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 68.5 | 66.3 | 70.8 | 66.9 | 64.6 | 69.3 | 72.8 | 70.7 | 75.2 |
| Assam | 63.9 | 62.7 | 65.5 | 63.0 | 61.9 | 64.6 | 70.3 | 69.1 | 71.8 |
| Bihar | 68.1 | 67.8 | 68.4 | 67.8 | 67.5 | 68.1 | 70.7 | 70.2 | 71.3 |
| Chhattisgarh | 64.8 | 63.3 | 66.3 | 64.2 | 62.8 | 65.5 | 68.1 | 66.1 | 70.2 |
| Delhi | 73.2 | 72.0 | 74.7 | 71.2 | 69.5 | 72.9 | 73.5 | 72.3 | 75.0 |
| Gujarat | 68.7 | 66.6 | 71.0 | 67.1 | 64.6 | 70.0 | 71.3 | 69.9 | 72.9 |
| Haryana | 68.6 | 66.3 | 71.3 | 67.7 | 65.2 | 70.8 | 70.6 | 68.9 | 72.5 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 71.6 | 69.3 | 74.1 | 71.2 | 68.8 | 73.8 | 76.3 | 75.2 | 77.8 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 72.6 | 70.9 | 74.9 | 71.6 | 70.2 | 73.6 | 76.2 | 73.6 | 79.6 |
| Jharkhand | 66.6 | 66.2 | 66.9 | 65.6 | 65.4 | 65.8 | 71.5 | 70.5 | 72.6 |
| Karnataka | 68.8 | 66.9 | 70.8 | 67.3 | 65.1 | 69.6 | 71.9 | 70.5 | 73.3 |
| Kerala | 74.9 | 72.0 | 77.8 | 74.9 | 71.7 | 78.1 | 75.0 | 72.7 | 77.1 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 64.2 | 62.5 | 66.0 | 63.0 | 61.3 | 65.0 | 68.9 | 67.4 | 70.6 |
| Maharashtra | 71.6 | 69.9 | 73.6 | 70.4 | 68.4 | 72.4 | 73.5 | 71.9 | 75.2 |
| Odisha | 65.8 | 64.7 | 67.1 | 65.2 | 64.1 | 66.5 | 69.8 | 68.7 | 71.0 |
| Punjab | 71.6 | 69.7 | 73.8 | 70.4 | 68.5 | 72.4 | 73.7 | 71.6 | 76.2 |
| Rajasthan | 67.7 | 65.5 | 70.2 | 67.0 | 64.6 | 69.7 | 70.5 | 69.0 | 72.2 |
| Tamil Nadu | 70.6 | 68.6 | 72.7 | 69.2 | 67.2 | 71.3 | 72.5 | 70.5 | 74.5 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 64.1 | 62.9 | 65.4 | 63.3 | 62.1 | 64.7 | 67.8 | 66.8 | 68.9 |
| Uttrakhand | 71.7 | 69.1 | 74.5 | 71.0 | 68.0 | 74.3 | 74.1 | 73.3 | 75.0 |
| West Bengal | 70.2 | 68.9 | 71.6 | 69.4 | 68.0 | 70.8 | 72.2 | 71.0 | 73.6 |
Data Sources: Human Development Index Report, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) India and Sample Registration Survey (SRS) based life table 2010-14.
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.