Life expectancy in Canada
Canada: Life expectancy was 81.6 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy in Canada, 1980–2021
Source: OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2021, life expectancy in Canada stood at 81.6 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Canada peaked at 82.3 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 75.1 years, in 1980.
That places Canada 17th out of 49 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 76.26 years | 75.1 years | 77.2 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.14 years | 77.5 years | 78.9 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.19 years | 79.3 years | 81.2 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.85 years | 81.4 years | 82.3 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.65 years | 81.6 years | 81.7 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More health data for Canada
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,083 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 385 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 283,794 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 266,829 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 271,934 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 258,927 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 254,587 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 245,661 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Canada?
- Life expectancy in Canada was 81.6 years in 2021, according to OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 82.3 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.1 years in 1980.
- How does Canada rank for life expectancy?
- Canada ranks 17th out of 49 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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 — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.