Life expectancy in Canada
Canada: Life expectancy was 81.6 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
81.6 years
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
17th
of 49 countries
All-time high
82.3 years
in 2019
All-time low
75.1 years
in 1980
Years of data
42
1980–2021
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.
Life expectancy in Canada, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 75.1 years | — |
| 1981 | 75.5 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 75.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 76.1 years | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 76.4 years | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 76.4 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 76.5 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 76.8 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 76.9 years | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 77.2 years | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 77.5 years | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 77.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 77.9 years | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 77.8 years | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 78 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 78.1 years | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 78.3 years | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 78.5 years | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 78.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 78.9 years | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 79.3 years | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 79.5 years | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 79.6 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 79.8 years | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 80.1 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 80.2 years | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 80.7 years | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 80.7 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 80.8 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 81.2 years | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 81.4 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 81.6 years | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 81.8 years | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 81.8 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 81.9 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 81.9 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 82 years | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 81.9 years | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 81.9 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 82.3 years | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 81.7 years | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 81.6 years | -0.1% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 81.6 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.4 years, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
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
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.79 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.3588 % change on previous year (2090)
- 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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.5214 % 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 0.023 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.5024 % 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 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
Period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.