This study empirically analyses the socioeconomic determinants and drivers of  life  expectancy in  West Africa. The study adopted a Panel Fixed Effect Least Square Dummy Variable Regression with data from World Development Indicators (WDI) spanning through the period 1985-2018. The result of the analysis shows that in West Africa, real per capita gross national income, old-age dependency ratio and child mortality rate significantly affect life expectancy. The study therefore, recommends that the governments in this sub-region should provide adequate social protection measures for the elderly so as to reduce the financial burden on the working population and adequately formulate and implement policy blueprints to improve health outcomes such life expectancy and others. 

Keywords: Life Expectancy, health outcomes, infant and child mortality rates

JEL Classification: H51, I14, I15