Iceland vs World: Life expectancy at birth, total

Iceland
82.81 years
in 2024
World
73.48 years
in 2024
Iceland rank
26th
World rank
19th

Life expectancy at birth, total over time

  • Iceland
  • World
020406080196019922024

How they compare

Iceland currently reports 82.81 years against 73.48 years in World, a difference of 9.33 years.

That makes Iceland's figure about 1.1 times World's.

Across all 65 years both countries report, Iceland has been ahead every year.

Iceland ranks 26th and World ranks 19th of 219 countries.

Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iceland World Difference Ahead
1960s 73.66 years 55.51 years 18.15 years Iceland
1970s 75.33 years 59.87 years 15.46 years Iceland
1980s 77.3 years 63.6 years 13.7 years Iceland
1990s 78.76 years 66.16 years 12.6 years Iceland
2000s 81.03 years 68.99 years 12.04 years Iceland
2010s 82.55 years 71.83 years 10.72 years Iceland
2020s 82.72 years 72.64 years 10.09 years Iceland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy at birth, total, Iceland or World?
Iceland, at 82.81 years against 73.48 years in World as of 2024.
What is the difference in life expectancy at birth, total between Iceland and World?
9.33 years, with Iceland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and World?
65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do Iceland and World rank globally for life expectancy at birth, total?
Iceland ranks 26th and World ranks 19th of 219 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Iceland vs World: Life expectancy at birth, total. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years/iceland/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
265 places, 17,191 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.