Lifespan of Human Cells by Type

How long different types of human cell typically survive before being replaced, in days. Some cells turn over in a matter of days while others last more than a year, reflecting how much wear each type endures. Figures are typical approximat...

About This Dataset

Lifespan of Human Cells by Type
How long different types of human cell typically survive before being replaced, in days. Some cells turn over in a matter of days while others last more than a year, reflecting how much wear each type endures. Figures are typical approximate values.
✨ AI Insight

Cell 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.

Source:  Cell turnover references

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

🏆
Liver cells leads with 400 in All Time.
📊
Average value in All Time: 114  ·  median: 45.
↔️
Gap in All Time: Liver cells is 400× larger than White blood cells (neutrophils).

Lifespan of Human Cells by Type

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Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin
Data Points
5
5 categories  ·  1 year
Top Value
400
Liver cells
Typical Lifespan (days) · All Time
Metrics
1
Typical Lifespan (days)
Period
All Time
Single year snapshot

Category Rankings

Typical Lifespan (days) · All Time

# Category All Time
🥇 Liver cells 400
🥈 Red blood cells 120
🥉 Skin (epidermis) cells 45
4 Intestinal lining cells 4
5 White blood cells (neutrophils) 1
Statistical Summary — Typical Lifespan (days) · All Time
400
Maximum
1
Minimum
114
Average
45
Median

What This Data Shows

Auto-generated trend summaries per category

White blood cells (neutrophils)
Recorded 1 Typical Lifespan (days) in All Time.
Intestinal lining cells
Recorded 4 Typical Lifespan (days) in All Time.
Skin (epidermis) cells
Recorded 45 Typical Lifespan (days) in All Time.
Red blood cells
Recorded 120 Typical Lifespan (days) in All Time.
Liver cells
Recorded 400 Typical Lifespan (days) in All Time.

Full Data Table

5 records across 1 year

✓ 5 sourced
Category Metric All Time Source
White blood cells (neutrophils) Typical Lifespan (days) 1
Intestinal lining cells Typical Lifespan (days) 4
Skin (epidermis) cells Typical Lifespan (days) 45
Red blood cells Typical Lifespan (days) 120
Liver cells Typical Lifespan (days) 400

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

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