Life expectancy in Greece
Greece: Life expectancy was 80.2 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
80.2 years
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
27th
of 49 countries
All-time high
81.9 years
in 2018
All-time low
71.7 years
in 1962
Years of data
61
1961–2021
Life expectancy in Greece, 1961–2021
Source: OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2021, life expectancy in Greece stood at 80.2 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Greece peaked at 81.9 years in 2018 and was at its lowest, 71.7 years, in 1962.
That places Greece 27th 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 61 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Greece, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 72.1 years | — |
| 1962 | 71.7 years | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 72 years | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 71.8 years | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 72.4 years | +0.8% |
| 1966 | 72.6 years | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 72.4 years | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 72.4 years | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 73 years | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 73.8 years | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 74.2 years | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 73.8 years | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 74.1 years | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 74.6 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 74.4 years | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 74.5 years | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 74.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 75.3 years | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 75.5 years | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 75.3 years | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 75.7 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 75.9 years | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 75.7 years | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 76.2 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 76 years | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 76.4 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 76.2 years | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 76.8 years | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 77 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 77.1 years | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 77.3 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 77.2 years | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 77.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 77.8 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 77.8 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 77.9 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 78.4 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 78.3 years | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 78.5 years | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 78.6 years | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 79.1 years | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 79.2 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 79.3 years | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 79.4 years | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 79.6 years | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 79.9 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 79.7 years | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 80.2 years | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 80.4 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 80.6 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 80.8 years | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 80.7 years | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 81.4 years | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 81.5 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 81.1 years | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 81.5 years | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 81.4 years | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 81.9 years | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 81.7 years | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 81.4 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 80.2 years | -1.5% |
Greece compared with similar countries
- Greece's 80.2 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 81.4 years, 99% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Greece's 80.2 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 81 years, 99% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 72.27 years | 71.7 years | 73 years | 9 |
| 1970s | 74.49 years | 73.8 years | 75.5 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 76.12 years | 75.3 years | 77 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.79 years | 77.1 years | 78.5 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.54 years | 78.6 years | 80.4 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.26 years | 80.6 years | 81.9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.8 years | 80.2 years | 81.4 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Greece
More health data for Greece
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0227 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,321 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 24 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -3.24 % 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 0.0175 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.88 % 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 Greece?
- Life expectancy in Greece was 80.2 years in 2021, according to OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Greece?
- The highest recorded value was 81.9 years in 2018.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Greece?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.7 years in 1962.
- How does Greece rank for life expectancy?
- Greece ranks 27th out of 49 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Greece?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Greece 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 — 61 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.