Life expectancy in Spain
Spain: Life expectancy was 83.3 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
83.3 years
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
4th
of 49 countries
All-time high
84 years
in 2019
All-time low
69.8 years
in 1960
Years of data
49
1960–2021
Life expectancy in Spain, 1960–2021
Source: OECD (2023) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy in Spain is 83.3 years, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Spain peaked at 84 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 69.8 years, in 1960.
That places Spain 4th out of 49 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 49 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Spain, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 69.8 years | — |
| 1970 | 72 years | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 73.4 years | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 73.7 years | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 74.2 years | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 74.4 years | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 75 years | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 75.5 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 75.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 76.3 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 76.1 years | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 76.4 years | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 76.4 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 76.7 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 76.9 years | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 76.9 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 77 years | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 76.9 years | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 77.1 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 77.6 years | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 77.7 years | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 78 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 78.1 years | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 78.3 years | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 78.8 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 78.8 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 78.8 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 79.3 years | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 79.8 years | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 79.8 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 79.7 years | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 80.4 years | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 80.3 years | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 81.1 years | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 81.1 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 81.5 years | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 81.9 years | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 82.4 years | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 82.6 years | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 82.5 years | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 83.2 years | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 83.3 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 83 years | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 83.5 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 83.4 years | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 83.5 years | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 84 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 82.4 years | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 83.3 years | +1.1% |
Spain compared with similar countries
- Spain's 83.3 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.4 years, 1.0× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Spain's 83.3 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 81 years, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 69.8 years | 69.8 years | 69.8 years | 1 |
| 1970s | 73.78 years | 72 years | 75 years | 6 |
| 1980s | 76.39 years | 75.5 years | 77 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.01 years | 76.9 years | 78.8 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.49 years | 79.3 years | 81.9 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.14 years | 82.4 years | 84 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.85 years | 82.4 years | 83.3 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More health data for Spain
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.82 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2629 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,290 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 108 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.0396 % 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 0.0173 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.0227 % 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 Spain?
- Life expectancy in Spain 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 84 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.8 years in 1960.
- How does Spain rank for life expectancy?
- Spain ranks 4th out of 49 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Spain 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 — 49 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.