Life expectancy in Australia
Australia: Life expectancy was 83.3 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
83.3 years
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
4th
of 49 countries
All-time high
83.3 years
in 2021
All-time low
70.8 years
in 1967
Years of data
44
1962–2021
Life expectancy in Australia, 1962–2021
Source: OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy in Australia is 83.3 years, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Australia peaked at 83.3 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 70.8 years, in 1967.
Australia ranks 4th of 49 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 71 years | — |
| 1967 | 70.8 years | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 72.8 years | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 74.8 years | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 74.6 years | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 75.4 years | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 75.7 years | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 75.5 years | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 76 years | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 76.2 years | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 76.2 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 76.4 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 76.9 years | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 77.3 years | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 77.4 years | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 77.9 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 77.9 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 77.8 years | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 78.1 years | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 78.4 years | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 78.6 years | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 78.9 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 79.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 79.6 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 79.9 years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 80.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 80.5 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 80.8 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 81 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 81.3 years | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 81.4 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 81.5 years | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 81.7 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 81.9 years | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 82 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 82.1 years | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 82.3 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 82.4 years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 82.4 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 82.5 years | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 82.7 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 82.9 years | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 83.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 83.3 years | +0.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 83.3 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.4 years, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Australia's 83.3 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 82.8 years, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 70.9 years | 70.8 years | 71 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 72.8 years | 72.8 years | 72.8 years | 1 |
| 1980s | 75.64 years | 74.6 years | 76.4 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 77.92 years | 76.9 years | 78.9 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.54 years | 79.2 years | 81.5 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.29 years | 81.7 years | 82.9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.25 years | 83.2 years | 83.3 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2021)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.45 % 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 0.0279 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Australia?
- Life expectancy in Australia was 83.3 years in 2021, according to OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 83.3 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.8 years in 1967.
- How does Australia rank for life expectancy?
- Australia ranks 4th out of 49 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.