Life expectancy, source comparison in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Life expectancy, source comparison was 81.3 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy, source comparison in United Kingdom, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy, source comparison in United Kingdom is 81.3 years, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy, source comparison in United Kingdom peaked at 81.44 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 68.24 years, in 1951.
That places United Kingdom 46th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 69.9 years | 68.24 years | 70.83 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 71.33 years | 70.76 years | 72.07 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.53 years | 71.88 years | 73.16 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.56 years | 73.59 years | 75.4 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.61 years | 75.74 years | 77.37 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.92 years | 77.85 years | 80.16 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.98 years | 80.39 years | 81.44 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.87 years | 80.39 years | 81.3 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More health data for United Kingdom
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,134 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 461 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 439,737 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 414,009 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 425,636 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 403,055 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 411,773 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 391,155 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy, source comparison in United Kingdom?
- Life expectancy, source comparison in United Kingdom was 81.3 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy, source comparison recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 81.44 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy, source comparison recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.24 years in 1951.
- How does United Kingdom rank for life expectancy, source comparison?
- United Kingdom ranks 46th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy, source comparison rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy, source comparison. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.