Sex gap in life expectancy in Ireland
Ireland: Sex gap in life expectancy was 4.11 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.11 years
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
172nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.9 years
in 1979
All-time low
2.23 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, sex gap in life expectancy in Ireland stood at 4.11 years.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in Ireland peaked at 5.9 years in 1979 and was at its lowest, 2.23 years, in 1950.
Ireland ranks 172nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Sex gap in life expectancy in Ireland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.23 years | — |
| 1951 | 2.6 years | +16.4% |
| 1952 | 2.92 years | +12.4% |
| 1953 | 2.53 years | -13.4% |
| 1954 | 3.24 years | +28.0% |
| 1955 | 3.17 years | -2.3% |
| 1956 | 3.39 years | +7.0% |
| 1957 | 3.15 years | -7.1% |
| 1958 | 3.56 years | +13.2% |
| 1959 | 3.82 years | +7.3% |
| 1960 | 3.5 years | -8.3% |
| 1961 | 3.75 years | +7.0% |
| 1962 | 4.14 years | +10.4% |
| 1963 | 3.97 years | -4.1% |
| 1964 | 4.11 years | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 4.39 years | +6.8% |
| 1966 | 4.35 years | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 4.44 years | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 4.55 years | +2.5% |
| 1969 | 4.36 years | -4.2% |
| 1970 | 4.75 years | +9.0% |
| 1971 | 4.89 years | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 4.98 years | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 5.17 years | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 5.2 years | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 5.28 years | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 5.12 years | -3.2% |
| 1977 | 5.13 years | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 5.43 years | +5.7% |
| 1979 | 5.9 years | +8.8% |
| 1980 | 5.46 years | -7.5% |
| 1981 | 5.72 years | +4.7% |
| 1982 | 5.61 years | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 5.81 years | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 5.64 years | -3.0% |
| 1985 | 5.87 years | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 5.78 years | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 5.71 years | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 5.62 years | -1.5% |
| 1989 | 5.56 years | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 5.61 years | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 5.62 years | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 5.61 years | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 5.6 years | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 5.61 years | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 5.55 years | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 5.64 years | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 5.31 years | -5.8% |
| 1998 | 5.68 years | +7.0% |
| 1999 | 5.42 years | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 5.24 years | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 5.28 years | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 5.32 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 4.92 years | -7.4% |
| 2004 | 4.98 years | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 4.59 years | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 4.77 years | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 4.62 years | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 4.61 years | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 4.79 years | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 4.53 years | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 4.37 years | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 4.3 years | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 4.09 years | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 4.09 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3.81 years | -7.0% |
| 2016 | 3.83 years | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 3.65 years | -4.7% |
| 2018 | 3.75 years | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 3.99 years | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 3.61 years | -9.5% |
| 2021 | 3.69 years | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 4.19 years | +13.4% |
| 2023 | 4.11 years | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.06 years | 2.23 years | 3.82 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.16 years | 3.5 years | 4.55 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.19 years | 4.75 years | 5.9 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.68 years | 5.46 years | 5.87 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.56 years | 5.31 years | 5.68 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.91 years | 4.59 years | 5.32 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.04 years | 3.65 years | 4.53 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.9 years | 3.61 years | 4.19 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 169 Eritrea 4.15 years compare
- 170 Comoros 4.15 years compare
- 171 Côte d'Ivoire 4.12 years compare
- 173 Burundi 4.1 years compare
- 174 Falkland Islands, Malvinas 4.09 years compare
- 175 Saudi Arabia 4.06 years compare
More health data for Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.89 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,122 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 20 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 65-69, male, annual growth rate 2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per capita 0.0238 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, annual growth rate 3.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per capita 0.021 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy in Ireland?
- Sex gap in life expectancy in Ireland was 4.11 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9 years in 1979.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.23 years in 1950.
- How does Ireland rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
- Ireland ranks 172nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.