Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Iceland
Iceland: Female and male life expectancy at birth in years was 80.98 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
80.98
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
20th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.45
in 2021
All-time low
68.58
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Iceland, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Iceland stood at 80.98.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Iceland peaked at 81.45 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 68.58, in 1950.
That places Iceland 20th 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.
Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 68.58 | — |
| 1951 | 69.17 | +0.9% |
| 1952 | 70.03 | +1.3% |
| 1953 | 70.24 | +0.3% |
| 1954 | 71.1 | +1.2% |
| 1955 | 70.74 | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 71.49 | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 71.71 | +0.3% |
| 1958 | 70.88 | -1.1% |
| 1959 | 69.79 | -1.5% |
| 1960 | 72.42 | +3.8% |
| 1961 | 70.77 | -2.3% |
| 1962 | 71.32 | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 70.16 | -1.6% |
| 1964 | 70.92 | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 71.37 | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 70.22 | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 71.09 | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 71.55 | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 71.14 | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 70.66 | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 70.76 | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 72.08 | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 71.43 | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 70.89 | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 72.16 | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 73.69 | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 73.14 | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 73.63 | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 73.96 | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 73.39 | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 73.24 | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 74.4 | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 73.07 | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 74.64 | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 74.78 | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 75.25 | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 74.75 | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 74.29 | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 75.94 | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 75.17 | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 74.76 | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 76.59 | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 76.92 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.95 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 75.56 | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 76.36 | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 76.09 | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 77.48 | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 77.27 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 77.73 | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 78.11 | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 78.33 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 79.19 | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 78.71 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 79.27 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 79.21 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 79.32 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 79.62 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 79.44 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 79.55 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 80.22 | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 81 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 80.22 | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 80.88 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 80.87 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 80.09 | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 80.66 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 80.88 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 81.3 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 81.24 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 81.45 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 79.36 | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 80.98 | +2.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 80.98 is above the median for high income countries, which is 78.86, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 80.98 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 77.36, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 70.37 | 68.58 | 71.71 | 10 |
| 1960s | 71.09 | 70.16 | 72.42 | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.24 | 70.66 | 73.96 | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.38 | 73.07 | 75.94 | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.32 | 74.76 | 77.48 | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.89 | 77.73 | 79.62 | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.57 | 79.55 | 81.3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.76 | 79.36 | 81.45 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More health data for Iceland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2085)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4982 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 0 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.1533 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0283 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.1097 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0302 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Iceland?
- Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Iceland was 80.98 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female and male life expectancy at birth in years recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 81.45 in 2021.
- What is the lowest female and male life expectancy at birth in years recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.58 in 1950.
- How does Iceland rank for female and male life expectancy at birth in years?
- Iceland ranks 20th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is female and male life expectancy at birth in years rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Female and male life expectancy at birth in years. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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