Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Iceland
Iceland: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 80.98 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
80.98 years
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
20th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.45 years
in 2021
All-time low
68.58 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Iceland, 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 Iceland stood at 80.98 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Iceland peaked at 81.45 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 68.58 years, 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.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 68.58 years | — |
| 1951 | 69.17 years | +0.9% |
| 1952 | 70.03 years | +1.3% |
| 1953 | 70.24 years | +0.3% |
| 1954 | 71.1 years | +1.2% |
| 1955 | 70.74 years | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 71.49 years | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 71.71 years | +0.3% |
| 1958 | 70.88 years | -1.1% |
| 1959 | 69.79 years | -1.5% |
| 1960 | 72.42 years | +3.8% |
| 1961 | 70.77 years | -2.3% |
| 1962 | 71.32 years | +0.8% |
| 1963 | 70.16 years | -1.6% |
| 1964 | 70.92 years | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 71.37 years | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 70.22 years | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 71.09 years | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 71.55 years | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 71.14 years | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 70.66 years | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 70.76 years | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 72.08 years | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 71.43 years | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 70.89 years | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 72.16 years | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 73.69 years | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 73.14 years | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 73.63 years | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 73.96 years | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 73.39 years | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 73.24 years | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 74.4 years | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 73.07 years | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 74.64 years | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 74.78 years | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 75.25 years | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 74.75 years | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 74.29 years | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 75.94 years | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 75.17 years | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 74.76 years | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 76.59 years | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 76.92 years | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 76.95 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 75.56 years | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 76.36 years | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 76.09 years | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 77.48 years | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 77.27 years | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 77.73 years | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 78.11 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 78.33 years | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 79.19 years | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 78.71 years | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 79.27 years | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 79.21 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 79.32 years | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 79.62 years | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 79.44 years | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 79.55 years | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 80.22 years | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 81 years | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 80.22 years | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 80.88 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 80.87 years | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 80.09 years | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 80.66 years | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 80.88 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 81.3 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 81.24 years | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 81.45 years | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 79.36 years | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 80.98 years | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 70.37 years | 68.58 years | 71.71 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 71.09 years | 70.16 years | 72.42 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.24 years | 70.66 years | 73.96 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.38 years | 73.07 years | 75.94 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.32 years | 74.76 years | 77.48 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.89 years | 77.73 years | 79.62 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.57 years | 79.55 years | 81.3 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.76 years | 79.36 years | 81.45 years | 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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,358 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 0 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 0.9361 % 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 0.0396 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate -0.0571 % 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 0.0446 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Iceland?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Iceland was 80.98 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 81.45 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.58 years in 1950.
- How does Iceland rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Iceland ranks 20th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex 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 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.