You in History
Your age, height and income placed in 1800, 1900, 1950 and 2000. Global life expectancy at birth was 29 in 1800 and 73 in 2024; nearly half of children died before age five.
Life expectancy at birth, child mortality and literacy by era are rounded estimates from Our World in Data. They are averages over whole regions, so your own ancestors had it better or worse.
At 36 today, this is how far through an average life you would be in each era:
Child mortality context
In 1900, the chance of losing a child before age 5 was 36% in your region. Today it is 4%. Most of the rise in life expectancy is this one number: fewer deaths before five, not longer old age.
In context
Life expectancy at birth in 1800 was about 29 worldwide, but that is an average dragged down by children. An adult who reached 20 in 1800 could expect to live into their 50s or 60s. The 20th century roughly doubled the headline figure, mostly through clean water, vaccines and antibiotics, and most of that happened in the four generations between your great-grandparents and you.
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About this test
Enter your birth year and pick a region. The module shows how far through the life expectancy you would be in 1800, 1900, 1950, 2000 and today, plus child mortality and literacy for each era. Figures are from Our World in Data (Riley 2005 for the historical series; UN WPP 2024 for today) and are approximate.
Global life expectancy at birth was 29 in 1800, 32 in 1900, 48 in 1950, 67 in 2000 and 73 in 2024. Most of the early number is child deaths: in 1800 about 46% of children died before age five. A 40-year-old in 1800 had already outlived the average, mainly by surviving childhood.
What was life expectancy in 1800?
About 29 years globally, 38 in the US, 35 in Europe, 27 in Asia and 25 in Africa, in the module's Our World in Data series. The low figure reflects child mortality near 46%, not adults dying at 30. Adults who survived childhood commonly reached their fifties and sixties.
What does the percentage mean?
Your age as a share of the life expectancy at birth for that era and region. At 40 in a region where 1900 life expectancy was 45, you have lived 89% of it. Over 100% means you would have outlived the average of that era.
How much has child mortality fallen?
From roughly 46% of children dying before five in 1800 to 4% today globally, in the module's data. Europe went from 38% to 0.5%, Africa from 52% to 7%. It is the single largest driver of rising life expectancy.
Percentiles above come from the same parameters the You in History module uses. See the methodology for how they are calculated.