Life expectancy in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Life expectancy was 81.3 Years in 2024. β–² Rising

Latest (2024)
81.3 Years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
22nd
of 41 countries
All-time high
81.3 Years
in 2019
All-time low
70.7 Years
in 1961
Years of data
49
1960–2024

Life expectancy in United Kingdom, 1960–2024

020406080196019922024

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Years.

Analysis

In 2024, life expectancy in United Kingdom stood at 81.3 Years. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy in United Kingdom peaked at 81.3 Years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 70.7 Years, in 1961.

United Kingdom ranks 22nd of 41 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 70.75 Years 70.7 Years 70.8 Years 2
1970s 71.9 Years 71.9 Years 71.9 Years 2
1980s 74.54 Years 73.6 Years 75.4 Years 10
1990s 76.56 Years 75.7 Years 77.4 Years 10
2000s 78.86 Years 77.8 Years 80.1 Years 10
2010s 80.91 Years 80.4 Years 81.3 Years 10
2020s 80.8 Years 80.3 Years 81.3 Years 5

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 19 Denmark 82 Years compare
  2. 20 Greece 81.9 Years compare
  3. 21 Chile 81.5 Years compare
  4. 23 Germany 81.2 Years compare
  5. 24 Costa Rica 81.1 Years compare
  6. 25 Czechia 80.1 Years compare

See the full ranking of 51 places β†’

More health data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy in United Kingdom?
Life expectancy in United Kingdom was 81.3 Years in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest life expectancy recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 81.3 Years in 2019.
What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 70.7 Years in 1961.
How does United Kingdom rank for life expectancy?
United Kingdom ranks 22nd out of 41 countries with data for 2024.
Is life expectancy rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy in United Kingdom. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-2/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy
Unit
Years
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 3,041 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents data on life expectancy at birth, and at ages 40, 60, 65 and 80 years old. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.