Difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland

Ireland: Difference in male and female life expectancy was 4.04 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
4.04
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
158th
of 229 countries
All-time high
5.73
in 1985
All-time low
1.52
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland, 1950–2023

23456195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland stood at 4.04.

That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland peaked at 5.73 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1.52, in 1950.

Ireland ranks 158th of 229 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.

Difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 1.52
1951 1.76 +15.7%
1952 2.31 +31.4%
1953 2.04 -11.8%
1954 2.51 +23.2%
1955 2.52 +0.3%
1956 2.76 +9.6%
1957 2.48 -10.1%
1958 2.83 +13.9%
1959 3.18 +12.7%
1960 2.88 -9.7%
1961 3.38 +17.5%
1962 3.62 +7.2%
1963 3.45 -4.7%
1964 3.85 +11.5%
1965 3.99 +3.8%
1966 3.98 -0.4%
1967 3.98 +0.0%
1968 4.31 +8.3%
1969 4.18 -3.0%
1970 4.53 +8.4%
1971 4.46 -1.6%
1972 4.66 +4.5%
1973 4.83 +3.6%
1974 4.72 -2.4%
1975 4.95 +5.0%
1976 4.84 -2.2%
1977 4.95 +2.2%
1978 5.22 +5.6%
1979 5.62 +7.6%
1980 5.23 -7.0%
1981 5.51 +5.3%
1982 5.51 +0.0%
1983 5.65 +2.6%
1984 5.4 -4.3%
1985 5.73 +6.0%
1986 5.62 -2.0%
1987 5.57 -0.8%
1988 5.44 -2.4%
1989 5.31 -2.3%
1990 5.43 +2.3%
1991 5.45 +0.2%
1992 5.45 +0.1%
1993 5.48 +0.5%
1994 5.4 -1.5%
1995 5.46 +1.1%
1996 5.54 +1.4%
1997 5.34 -3.6%
1998 5.52 +3.4%
1999 5.34 -3.3%
2000 5.09 -4.6%
2001 5.24 +3.0%
2002 5.26 +0.4%
2003 4.77 -9.4%
2004 4.95 +3.8%
2005 4.67 -5.6%
2006 4.63 -0.8%
2007 4.57 -1.4%
2008 4.49 -1.7%
2009 4.73 +5.3%
2010 4.43 -6.3%
2011 4.29 -3.3%
2012 4.32 +0.8%
2013 4.01 -7.2%
2014 4.01 -0.1%
2015 3.74 -6.7%
2016 3.79 +1.3%
2017 3.7 -2.4%
2018 3.71 +0.4%
2019 3.92 +5.6%
2020 3.59 -8.2%
2021 3.7 +3.0%
2022 4.12 +11.4%
2023 4.04 -2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 2.39 1.52 3.18 10
1960s 3.76 2.88 4.31 10
1970s 4.88 4.46 5.62 10
1980s 5.5 5.23 5.73 10
1990s 5.44 5.34 5.54 10
2000s 4.84 4.49 5.26 10
2010s 3.99 3.7 4.43 10
2020s 3.87 3.59 4.12 4

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 155 Rwanda 4.08 compare
  2. 156 Ghana 4.07 compare
  3. 157 Monaco 4.05 compare
  4. 159 Zambia 4.03 compare
  5. 160 Indonesia 4.02 compare
  6. 161 Andorra 4.02 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland?
Difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland was 4.04 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest difference in male and female life expectancy recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 5.73 in 1985.
What is the lowest difference in male and female life expectancy recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 1.52 in 1950.
How does Ireland rank for difference in male and female life expectancy?
Ireland ranks 158th out of 229 countries with data for 2023.
Is difference in male and female life expectancy rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Difference in male and female life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Difference in male and female life expectancy in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/difference-in-male-and-female-life-expectancy/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Difference in male and female life expectancy
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 18,722 data points, 1751–2023
Last refreshed