Life expectancy at birth, total in France

France: Life expectancy at birth, total was 82.98 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
82.98 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
24th
of 218 countries
All-time high
82.98 years
in 2024
All-time low
69.87 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Life expectancy at birth, total in France, 1960–2024

020406080196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in France is 82.98 years, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in France peaked at 82.98 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 69.87 years, in 1960.

France ranks 24th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth, total in France, year by year

Annual values for Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in France, 1960 to 2024.
Year years Change
1960 69.87 years
1961 70.12 years +0.4%
1962 70.31 years +0.3%
1963 70.51 years +0.3%
1964 70.66 years +0.2%
1965 70.81 years +0.2%
1966 70.96 years +0.2%
1967 71.16 years +0.3%
1968 71.31 years +0.2%
1969 71.46 years +0.2%
1970 71.66 years +0.3%
1971 71.91 years +0.3%
1972 72.11 years +0.3%
1973 72.36 years +0.3%
1974 72.6 years +0.3%
1975 72.85 years +0.3%
1976 73.1 years +0.3%
1977 73.35 years +0.3%
1978 73.6 years +0.3%
1979 73.85 years +0.3%
1980 74.05 years +0.3%
1981 74.3 years +0.3%
1982 74.5 years +0.3%
1983 74.8 years +0.4%
1984 75 years +0.3%
1985 75.3 years +0.4%
1986 75.6 years +0.4%
1987 75.8 years +0.3%
1988 76.1 years +0.4%
1989 76.35 years +0.3%
1990 76.6 years +0.3%
1991 76.85 years +0.3%
1992 77.1 years +0.3%
1993 77.3 years +0.3%
1994 77.65 years +0.5%
1995 77.75 years +0.1%
1996 77.95 years +0.3%
1997 78.3 years +0.5%
1998 78.6 years +0.4%
1999 78.76 years +0.2%
2000 79.06 years +0.4%
2001 79.16 years +0.1%
2002 79.26 years +0.1%
2003 79.11 years -0.2%
2004 80.16 years +1.3%
2005 80.16 years +0.0%
2006 80.81 years +0.8%
2007 81.11 years +0.4%
2008 81.21 years +0.1%
2009 81.41 years +0.2%
2010 81.66 years +0.3%
2011 82.11 years +0.6%
2012 81.97 years -0.2%
2013 82.22 years +0.3%
2014 82.72 years +0.6%
2015 82.32 years -0.5%
2016 82.57 years +0.3%
2017 82.58 years +0.0%
2018 82.68 years +0.1%
2019 82.83 years +0.2%
2020 82.18 years -0.8%
2021 82.32 years +0.2%
2022 82.13 years -0.2%
2023 82.83 years +0.9%
2024 82.98 years +0.2%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 82.98 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.36 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • France's 82.98 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 79.78 years, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 70.72 years 69.87 years 71.46 years 10
1970s 72.74 years 71.66 years 73.85 years 10
1980s 75.18 years 74.05 years 76.35 years 10
1990s 77.69 years 76.6 years 78.76 years 10
2000s 80.15 years 79.06 years 81.41 years 10
2010s 82.37 years 81.66 years 82.83 years 10
2020s 82.49 years 82.13 years 82.98 years 5

Countries ranked near France

  1. 21 United Arab Emirates 83.07 years compare
  2. 22 Australia 83.05 years compare
  3. 23 Ireland 83.01 years compare
  4. 25 Malta 82.96 years compare
  5. 26 Iceland 82.81 years compare
  6. 27 Qatar 82.52 years compare

See the full ranking of 266 places →

More health data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, total in France?
Life expectancy at birth, total in France was 82.98 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 82.98 years in 2024.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 69.87 years in 1960.
How does France rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
France ranks 24th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy at birth, total in France. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years/france/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
266 places, 17,256 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.