Life expectancy in Poland
Poland: Life expectancy was 75.5 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
75.5 years
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
35th
of 49 countries
All-time high
78 years
in 2016
All-time low
67.5 years
in 1962
Years of data
62
1960–2021
Life expectancy in Poland, 1960–2021
Source: OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2021, life expectancy in Poland stood at 75.5 years.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Poland peaked at 78 years in 2016 and was at its lowest, 67.5 years, in 1962.
Poland ranks 35th of 49 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Poland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 67.8 years | — |
| 1961 | 67.8 years | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 67.5 years | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 68.5 years | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 68.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 69.5 years | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 69.9 years | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 69.5 years | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 70.3 years | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 69.8 years | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 70 years | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 69.7 years | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 70.7 years | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 70.7 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 71.2 years | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 70.6 years | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 70.7 years | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 70.5 years | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 70.4 years | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 70.9 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 70.2 years | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 71.2 years | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 71.2 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 71.1 years | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 70.9 years | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 71.1 years | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 71 years | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 71.5 years | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 71.5 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 71.2 years | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 70.7 years | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 70.4 years | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 71 years | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 71.5 years | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 71.8 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 72 years | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 72.3 years | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 72.7 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 73.1 years | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 73.1 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 73.8 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 74.2 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 74.5 years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 74.7 years | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 74.9 years | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 75 years | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 75.3 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 75.4 years | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 75.6 years | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 75.9 years | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 76.4 years | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 76.8 years | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 76.9 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 77.1 years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 77.8 years | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 77.5 years | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 78 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 77.8 years | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 77.7 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 78 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 76.5 years | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 75.5 years | -1.3% |
Poland compared with similar countries
- Poland's 75.5 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 81.4 years, 93% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Poland's 75.5 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 81 years, 93% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 68.93 years | 67.5 years | 70.3 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 70.54 years | 69.7 years | 71.2 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.09 years | 70.2 years | 71.5 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 71.86 years | 70.4 years | 73.1 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 74.93 years | 73.8 years | 75.9 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.4 years | 76.4 years | 78 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 76 years | 75.5 years | 76.5 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More health data for Poland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9071 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,693 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 80 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -5.59 % 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 0.0201 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -5.49 % 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 Poland?
- Life expectancy in Poland was 75.5 years in 2021, according to OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 78 years in 2016.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 67.5 years in 1962.
- How does Poland rank for life expectancy?
- Poland ranks 35th out of 49 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Poland 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 — 62 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.