Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Australia
Australia: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 82.1 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
82.1 years
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
5th
of 236 countries
All-time high
82.1 years
in 2023
All-time low
66.08 years
in 1951
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Australia stood at 82.1 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Australia peaked at 82.1 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 66.08 years, in 1951.
That places Australia 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 66.51 years | — |
| 1951 | 66.08 years | -0.7% |
| 1952 | 66.45 years | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 67.06 years | +0.9% |
| 1954 | 67.18 years | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 67.34 years | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 67.29 years | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 67.45 years | +0.2% |
| 1958 | 67.95 years | +0.8% |
| 1959 | 67.44 years | -0.8% |
| 1960 | 67.94 years | +0.7% |
| 1961 | 68.05 years | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 67.82 years | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 67.9 years | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 67.48 years | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 67.66 years | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 67.58 years | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 67.83 years | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 67.46 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 67.77 years | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 67.43 years | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 68.25 years | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 68.48 years | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 68.68 years | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 68.47 years | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 69.38 years | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 69.4 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 70.07 years | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 70.33 years | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 70.85 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 71.09 years | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 71.3 years | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 71.31 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 72.15 years | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 72.27 years | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 72.28 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 72.9 years | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 72.92 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 73.18 years | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 73.11 years | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 73.98 years | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 74.49 years | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 74.49 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 75.04 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 74.92 years | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 75.39 years | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 75.45 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 75.86 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 76.18 years | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 76.5 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 76.95 years | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 77.38 years | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 77.54 years | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 77.94 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 78.27 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 78.67 years | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 78.9 years | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 78.91 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 79.14 years | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 79.44 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 79.81 years | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 79.92 years | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 80.27 years | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 80.46 years | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 80.52 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 80.58 years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 80.75 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 80.69 years | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 81.22 years | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 81.2 years | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 81.63 years | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 81.65 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 80.73 years | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 82.1 years | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 67.08 years | 66.08 years | 67.95 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 67.75 years | 67.46 years | 68.05 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 69.13 years | 67.43 years | 70.85 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 72.25 years | 71.09 years | 73.18 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 75.23 years | 73.98 years | 76.5 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.32 years | 76.95 years | 79.44 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.54 years | 79.81 years | 81.22 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.53 years | 80.73 years | 82.1 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 2 San Marino 84.21 years compare
- 3 Hong Kong, China 82.84 years compare
- 4 Andorra 82.1 years compare
- 6 Switzerland 82.01 years compare
- 7 United Arab Emirates 81.98 years compare
- 8 Liechtenstein 81.84 years compare
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 906.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate -0.3038 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per capita 0.0361 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate 0.6574 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0363 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Australia?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Australia was 82.1 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 82.1 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.08 years in 1951.
- How does Australia rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Australia ranks 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.