France vs Spain: Life expectancy

France
82.21 years
in 2020
Spain
82.29 years
in 2020
France rank
16th
Spain rank
15th

Life expectancy over time

  • France
  • Spain
020406080187019452020

How they compare

Spain currently reports 82.29 years against 82.21 years in France, a difference of 0.08 years.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1870 it was France ahead.

France ranks 16th and Spain ranks 15th of 162 countries.

Across the 15 decades both report, France averaged higher in 9 and Spain in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade France Spain Difference Ahead
1870s 36.52 years 30.1 years 6.42 years France
1880s 42.79 years 32.1 years 10.69 years France
1890s 43.43 years 34.1 years 9.33 years France
1900s 45.1 years 35.04 years 10.06 years France
1910s 51.36 years 42.61 years 8.75 years France
1920s 54.3 years 48.23 years 6.06 years France
1930s 58.29 years 49.6 years 8.69 years France
1950s 67.41 years 64.25 years 3.16 years France
1960s 70.74 years 70.08 years 0.66 years France
1970s 72.5 years 72.82 years 0.325 years Spain
1980s 74.77 years 75.97 years 1.2 years Spain
1990s 77.35 years 77.6 years 0.2499 years Spain
2000s 79.69 years 79.87 years 0.1795 years Spain
2010s 81.81 years 82.33 years 0.5273 years Spain
2020s 82.21 years 82.29 years 0.0788 years Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy, France or Spain?
Spain, at 82.29 years against 82.21 years in France as of 2020.
What is the difference in life expectancy between France and Spain?
0.08 years, with Spain ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and Spain?
24 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
How do France and Spain rank globally for life expectancy?
France ranks 16th and Spain ranks 15th of 162 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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France vs Spain: Life expectancy. Statizoid, drawing on Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-prados-de-la-escosura/france/spain/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy
Unit
years
Source
Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
163 places, 3,421 data points, 1870–2020
Last refreshed

Average number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.