Statizoid

Sex gap in life expectancy in Italy

Italy: Sex gap in life expectancy was 4.18 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
4.18 years
Change on year
down 14.4%
World rank
167th
of 236 countries
All-time high
16.43 years
in 1917
All-time low
-0.25 years
in 1885
Years of data
152
1872–2023

Sex gap in life expectancy in Italy, 1872–2023

051015187219472023

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

Analysis

Italy recorded 4.18 years for sex gap in life expectancy in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.4% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in Italy peaked at 16.43 years in 1917 and was at its lowest, -0.25 years, in 1885.

Italy ranks 167th of 236 countries on this measure, 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 Italy, year by year

Year years Change
1872 0.98 years —
1873 0.35 years -64.3%
1874 0.4 years +14.3%
1875 0.53 years +32.5%
1876 0.64 years +20.8%
1877 0.45 years -29.7%
1878 0.38 years -15.6%
1879 0.32 years -15.8%
1880 0.74 years +131.3%
1881 0.41 years -44.6%
1882 0.49 years +19.5%
1883 -0.01 years -102.0%
1884 -0.01 years -0.0%
1885 -0.25 years +2400.4%
1886 -0.17 years -32.0%
1887 -0.11 years -35.3%
1888 0.09 years -181.8%
1889 -0.02 years -122.2%
1890 0.06 years -400.0%
1891 0 years -100.0%
1892 0.05 years —
1893 0.26 years +420.0%
1894 0.18 years -30.8%
1895 0.49 years +172.2%
1896 0.52 years +6.1%
1897 0.14 years -73.1%
1898 0.42 years +200.0%
1899 0.22 years -47.6%
1900 0.23 years +4.5%
1901 0.49 years +113.0%
1902 0.34 years -30.6%
1903 0.52 years +52.9%
1904 0.42 years -19.2%
1905 0.5 years +19.0%
1906 0.61 years +22.0%
1907 0.53 years -13.1%
1908 0.76 years +43.4%
1909 1.13 years +48.7%
1910 0.82 years -27.4%
1911 0.48 years -41.5%
1912 0.95 years +97.9%
1913 0.77 years -18.9%
1914 0.93 years +20.8%
1915 8.41 years +804.3%
1916 12.69 years +50.9%
1917 16.43 years +29.5%
1918 4.82 years -70.7%
1919 6.26 years +29.9%
1920 1.07 years -82.9%
1921 1.53 years +43.0%
1922 1.4 years -8.5%
1923 1.19 years -15.0%
1924 1.52 years +27.7%
1925 1.88 years +23.7%
1926 1.66 years -11.7%
1927 1.6 years -3.6%
1928 1.81 years +13.1%
1929 2.05 years +13.3%
1930 2.18 years +6.3%
1931 2.12 years -2.8%
1932 2.42 years +14.2%
1933 2.4 years -0.8%
1934 2.48 years +3.3%
1935 2.62 years +5.6%
1936 2.87 years +9.5%
1937 2.81 years -2.1%
1938 2.79 years -0.7%
1939 2.85 years +2.2%
1940 4.14 years +45.3%
1941 6.89 years +66.4%
1942 9.74 years +41.4%
1943 12.67 years +30.1%
1944 9.31 years -26.5%
1945 7.39 years -20.6%
1946 3.22 years -56.4%
1947 3.49 years +8.4%
1948 3.04 years -12.9%
1949 3 years -1.3%
1950 3.49 years +16.2%
1951 3.52 years +1.1%
1952 3.62 years +2.7%
1953 3.69 years +1.9%
1954 4.1 years +11.1%
1955 4.27 years +4.3%
1956 4.38 years +2.6%
1957 4.66 years +6.4%
1958 4.71 years +0.9%
1959 4.74 years +0.6%
1960 5 years +5.7%
1961 5.31 years +6.2%
1962 5.36 years +0.8%
1963 5.5 years +2.6%
1964 5.6 years +1.9%
1965 5.6 years +0.0%
1966 5.66 years +1.0%
1967 5.62 years -0.8%
1968 5.74 years +2.2%
1969 6 years +4.5%
1970 5.84 years -2.6%
1971 6 years +2.7%
1972 6.12 years +2.0%
1973 6.04 years -1.3%
1974 6.2 years +2.7%
1975 6.36 years +2.6%
1976 6.41 years +0.8%
1977 6.59 years +2.7%
1978 6.71 years +1.9%
1979 6.76 years +0.7%
1980 6.75 years -0.1%
1981 6.66 years -1.5%
1982 6.59 years -1.0%
1983 6.55 years -0.6%
1984 6.62 years +1.0%
1985 6.52 years -1.4%
1986 6.5 years -0.4%
1987 6.54 years +0.6%
1988 6.5 years -0.5%
1989 6.56 years +1.0%
1990 6.62 years +0.8%
1991 6.71 years +1.4%
1992 6.68 years -0.4%
1993 6.47 years -3.3%
1994 6.51 years +0.6%
1995 6.56 years +0.8%
1996 6.36 years -3.1%
1997 6.24 years -1.9%
1998 6.18 years -0.9%
1999 6.13 years -0.8%
2000 5.96 years -2.8%
2001 5.99 years +0.4%
2002 5.88 years -1.8%
2003 5.55 years -5.6%
2004 5.7 years +2.7%
2005 5.51 years -3.4%
2006 5.49 years -0.4%
2007 5.3 years -3.5%
2008 5.19 years -2.0%
2009 5.04 years -3.0%
2010 4.98 years -1.1%
2011 4.85 years -2.6%
2012 4.7 years -3.1%
2013 4.7 years -0.0%
2014 4.62 years -1.7%
2015 4.43 years -4.2%
2016 4.45 years +0.4%
2017 4.41 years -0.8%
2018 4.32 years -2.0%
2019 4.26 years -1.5%
2020 4.61 years +8.3%
2021 4.47 years -3.1%
2022 4.88 years +9.3%
2023 4.18 years -14.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1870s 0.5063 years 0.32 years 0.98 years 8
1880s 0.116 years -0.25 years 0.74 years 10
1890s 0.234 years 0 years 0.52 years 10
1900s 0.553 years 0.23 years 1.13 years 10
1910s 5.26 years 0.48 years 16.43 years 10
1920s 1.57 years 1.07 years 2.05 years 10
1930s 2.55 years 2.12 years 2.87 years 10
1940s 6.29 years 3 years 12.67 years 10
1950s 4.12 years 3.49 years 4.74 years 10
1960s 5.54 years 5 years 6 years 10
1970s 6.3 years 5.84 years 6.76 years 10
1980s 6.58 years 6.5 years 6.75 years 10
1990s 6.45 years 6.13 years 6.71 years 10
2000s 5.56 years 5.04 years 5.99 years 10
2010s 4.57 years 4.26 years 4.98 years 10
2020s 4.54 years 4.18 years 4.88 years 4

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 164 Indonesia 4.23 years compare
  2. 165 Brunei Darussalam 4.23 years compare
  3. 166 Isle of Man 4.21 years compare
  4. 168 Yemen 4.15 years compare
  5. 169 Eritrea 4.15 years compare
  6. 170 Comoros 4.15 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is sex gap in life expectancy in Italy?
Sex gap in life expectancy in Italy was 4.18 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 Italy?
The highest recorded value was 16.43 years in 1917.
What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was -0.25 years in 1885.
How does Italy rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
Italy ranks 167th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Italy 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 Italy. 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/italy/

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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.