Lifespan of Human Cells by Type
Key Findings
About This Dataset
Lifespan of Human Cells by TypeCell longevity varies more than a hundredfold across the body. White blood cells such as neutrophils are the most disposable, living only about a day as front-line defenders, while the cells lining the intestine survive just 4 days under the constant abrasion of digestion. Skin (epidermal) cells last around 45 days, red blood cells about 120, and liver cells roughly 400 - over a year. The clear pattern is that exposure drives replacement rate: tissues facing chemical or mechanical assault (gut lining, immune cells) are renewed fastest, while more sheltered cells persist far longer. This constant turnover means much of the body is physically younger than the person it belongs to, with billions of cells replaced every single day.
Data Insights
Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart
Methodology & source
- Data source
- Cell turnover references
- Coverage
- 5 entities · 5 observations
- Measure
- Typical Lifespan (days)
- Last updated
- 12 July 2026
- Compiled by
- The ANYSTAT team, from the source above
- Values are shown as reported by the source. Nothing is rescaled, rebased or converted — the only changes are thousand separators and decimals shown to two places.
- Entities are ranked highest-first on their value.
Data Sources & References
All external sources cited in this dataset
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