Statizoid

Sex gap in life expectancy in Finland

Finland: Sex gap in life expectancy was 5.5 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
5.5 years
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
93rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
23.62 years
in 1941
All-time low
1.86 years
in 1878
Years of data
146
1878–2023

Sex gap in life expectancy in Finland, 1878–2023

0510152025187819502023

Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

Finland recorded 5.5 years for sex gap in life expectancy in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in Finland peaked at 23.62 years in 1941 and was at its lowest, 1.86 years, in 1878.

That places Finland 93rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Sex gap in life expectancy in Finland, year by year

Year years Change
1878 1.86 years —
1879 2.36 years +26.9%
1880 2.92 years +23.7%
1881 2.62 years -10.3%
1882 2.97 years +13.4%
1883 3.25 years +9.4%
1884 3.14 years -3.4%
1885 2.43 years -22.6%
1886 2.82 years +16.0%
1887 2.32 years -17.7%
1888 2.33 years +0.4%
1889 2.85 years +22.3%
1890 3.06 years +7.4%
1891 2.7 years -11.8%
1892 3.12 years +15.6%
1893 3.25 years +4.2%
1894 2.42 years -25.5%
1895 3.25 years +34.3%
1896 2.48 years -23.7%
1897 2.65 years +6.9%
1898 2.58 years -2.6%
1899 2.57 years -0.4%
1900 2.83 years +10.1%
1901 2.62 years -7.4%
1902 2.69 years +2.7%
1903 2.91 years +8.2%
1904 2.49 years -14.4%
1905 3.08 years +23.7%
1906 3.28 years +6.5%
1907 3.24 years -1.2%
1908 3.14 years -3.1%
1909 2.98 years -5.1%
1910 2.83 years -5.0%
1911 3.41 years +20.5%
1912 3.28 years -3.8%
1913 3.46 years +5.5%
1914 3.16 years -8.7%
1915 3.14 years -0.6%
1916 3.43 years +9.2%
1917 3.65 years +6.4%
1918 17.29 years +373.7%
1919 4.97 years -71.3%
1920 4.67 years -6.0%
1921 4.7 years +0.6%
1922 4.47 years -4.9%
1923 4.84 years +8.3%
1924 4.83 years -0.2%
1925 5.12 years +6.0%
1926 4.86 years -5.1%
1927 5.07 years +4.3%
1928 4.96 years -2.2%
1929 5.06 years +2.0%
1930 5.11 years +1.0%
1931 4.8 years -6.1%
1932 4.92 years +2.5%
1933 5.43 years +10.4%
1934 5.31 years -2.2%
1935 5.16 years -2.8%
1936 4.7 years -8.9%
1937 5.44 years +15.7%
1938 5.08 years -6.6%
1939 9.76 years +92.1%
1940 19.32 years +98.0%
1941 23.62 years +22.3%
1942 14.1 years -40.3%
1943 10.87 years -22.9%
1944 19.7 years +81.2%
1945 7.88 years -60.0%
1946 8.24 years +4.6%
1947 8.14 years -1.2%
1948 8.06 years -1.0%
1949 8.48 years +5.2%
1950 7.55 years -11.0%
1951 6.58 years -12.9%
1952 6.15 years -6.5%
1953 6.51 years +5.8%
1954 6.42 years -1.3%
1955 6.82 years +6.2%
1956 6.61 years -3.1%
1957 6.49 years -1.8%
1958 6.43 years -0.9%
1959 6.92 years +7.6%
1960 6.99 years +1.0%
1961 6.63 years -5.1%
1962 7.15 years +7.7%
1963 7.17 years +0.3%
1964 7.31 years +1.9%
1965 7.56 years +3.5%
1966 7.22 years -4.6%
1967 7.66 years +6.2%
1968 7.68 years +0.3%
1969 7.93 years +3.2%
1970 8.24 years +3.9%
1971 8.41 years +2.0%
1972 8.42 years +0.2%
1973 8.71 years +3.4%
1974 8.63 years -0.9%
1975 8.71 years +1.0%
1976 8.79 years +0.9%
1977 9 years +2.4%
1978 8.85 years -1.7%
1979 8.57 years -3.1%
1980 8.61 years +0.5%
1981 8.5 years -1.3%
1982 8.37 years -1.5%
1983 8.11 years -3.1%
1984 8.27 years +2.0%
1985 8.37 years +1.2%
1986 8.19 years -2.1%
1987 8.04 years -1.9%
1988 8.03 years -0.2%
1989 8.03 years +0.0%
1990 7.94 years -1.2%
1991 7.99 years +0.7%
1992 7.77 years -2.8%
1993 7.37 years -5.1%
1994 7.35 years -0.2%
1995 7.4 years +0.7%
1996 7.52 years +1.5%
1997 7.08 years -5.8%
1998 7.33 years +3.6%
1999 7.29 years -0.6%
2000 6.87 years -5.8%
2001 6.95 years +1.3%
2002 6.66 years -4.2%
2003 6.68 years +0.2%
2004 6.97 years +4.4%
2005 6.77 years -2.9%
2006 7.01 years +3.5%
2007 7 years -0.1%
2008 6.68 years -4.5%
2009 6.63 years -0.9%
2010 6.52 years -1.5%
2011 6.34 years -2.8%
2012 5.91 years -6.9%
2013 5.96 years +0.9%
2014 5.69 years -4.4%
2015 5.6 years -1.6%
2016 5.69 years +1.5%
2017 5.5 years -3.3%
2018 5.4 years -1.8%
2019 5.34 years -1.1%
2020 5.59 years +4.7%
2021 5.32 years -4.9%
2022 5.79 years +8.9%
2023 5.5 years -5.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1870s 2.11 years 1.86 years 2.36 years 2
1880s 2.76 years 2.32 years 3.25 years 10
1890s 2.81 years 2.42 years 3.25 years 10
1900s 2.93 years 2.49 years 3.28 years 10
1910s 4.86 years 2.83 years 17.29 years 10
1920s 4.86 years 4.47 years 5.12 years 10
1930s 5.57 years 4.7 years 9.76 years 10
1940s 12.84 years 7.88 years 23.62 years 10
1950s 6.65 years 6.15 years 7.55 years 10
1960s 7.33 years 6.63 years 7.93 years 10
1970s 8.63 years 8.24 years 9 years 10
1980s 8.25 years 8.03 years 8.61 years 10
1990s 7.5 years 7.08 years 7.99 years 10
2000s 6.82 years 6.63 years 7.01 years 10
2010s 5.8 years 5.34 years 6.52 years 10
2020s 5.55 years 5.32 years 5.79 years 4

Countries ranked near Finland

  1. 90 Belize 5.57 years compare
  2. 91 British Virgin Islands 5.52 years compare
  3. 92 Colombia 5.5 years compare
  4. 94 Ecuador 5.48 years compare
  5. 95 Slovenia 5.44 years compare
  6. 96 Lesotho 5.39 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Finland

All data for Finland →

Frequently asked questions

What is sex gap in life expectancy in Finland?
Sex gap in life expectancy in Finland was 5.5 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Finland?
The highest recorded value was 23.62 years in 1941.
What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Finland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.86 years in 1878.
How does Finland rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
Finland ranks 93rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in Finland?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Finland data come from?
The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sex gap in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sex gap in life expectancy in Finland. Statizoid, drawing on Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/difference-in-female-and-male-life-expectancy-at-birth/finland/

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About this data

Indicator
Sex gap in life expectancy
Unit
years
Source
Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 18,722 data points, 1751–2023
Last refreshed

Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.