Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Ireland

Ireland: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 83.01 years in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
83.01 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
23rd
of 218 countries
All-time high
83.01 years
in 2024
All-time low
69.68 years
in 1961
Years of data
65
1960–2024

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

020406080196019922024

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

Analysis

In 2024, life expectancy at birth, total in Ireland stood at 83.01 years. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Ireland peaked at 83.01 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 69.68 years, in 1961.

That places Ireland 23rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in Ireland, 1960 to 2024.
Year years Change
1960 70.19 years —
1961 69.68 years -0.7%
1962 69.99 years +0.4%
1963 70.23 years +0.3%
1964 70.49 years +0.4%
1965 70.69 years +0.3%
1966 70.22 years -0.7%
1967 71.25 years +1.5%
1968 70.94 years -0.4%
1969 70.85 years -0.1%
1970 70.9 years +0.1%
1971 71.68 years +1.1%
1972 71.02 years -0.9%
1973 71.24 years +0.3%
1974 71.18 years -0.1%
1975 71.75 years +0.8%
1976 71.86 years +0.1%
1977 72 years +0.2%
1978 72 years -0.0%
1979 72.27 years +0.4%
1980 72.6 years +0.5%
1981 72.95 years +0.5%
1982 73.21 years +0.4%
1983 73.24 years +0.0%
1984 73.66 years +0.6%
1985 73.62 years -0.1%
1986 73.67 years +0.1%
1987 74.43 years +1.0%
1988 74.44 years +0.0%
1989 74.46 years +0.0%
1990 74.85 years +0.5%
1991 75.03 years +0.2%
1992 75.42 years +0.5%
1993 75.29 years -0.2%
1994 75.79 years +0.7%
1995 75.47 years -0.4%
1996 75.83 years +0.5%
1997 75.99 years +0.2%
1998 76.18 years +0.3%
1999 76.08 years -0.1%
2000 76.54 years +0.6%
2001 77.13 years +0.8%
2002 77.63 years +0.6%
2003 78.14 years +0.7%
2004 78.54 years +0.5%
2005 78.94 years +0.5%
2006 79.24 years +0.4%
2007 79.64 years +0.5%
2008 80.1 years +0.6%
2009 80.19 years +0.1%
2010 80.74 years +0.7%
2011 80.75 years +0.0%
2012 80.85 years +0.1%
2013 80.95 years +0.1%
2014 81.35 years +0.5%
2015 81.45 years +0.1%
2016 81.65 years +0.2%
2017 82.16 years +0.6%
2018 82.2 years +0.1%
2019 82.7 years +0.6%
2020 82.46 years -0.3%
2021 82.25 years -0.2%
2022 82.51 years +0.3%
2023 82.81 years +0.4%
2024 83.01 years +0.2%

Ireland compared with similar countries

  • Ireland's 83.01 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.36 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Ireland's 83.01 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 70.45 years 69.68 years 71.25 years 10
1970s 71.59 years 70.9 years 72.27 years 10
1980s 73.63 years 72.6 years 74.46 years 10
1990s 75.59 years 74.85 years 76.18 years 10
2000s 78.61 years 76.54 years 80.19 years 10
2010s 81.48 years 80.74 years 82.7 years 10
2020s 82.61 years 82.25 years 83.01 years 5

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 20 Faroe Islands 83.08 years compare
  2. 21 United Arab Emirates 83.07 years compare
  3. 22 Australia 83.05 years compare
  4. 24 France 82.98 years compare
  5. 25 Malta 82.96 years compare
  6. 26 Iceland 82.81 years compare

See the full ranking of 266 places →

More health data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, total in Ireland?
Life expectancy at birth, total in Ireland was 83.01 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 83.01 years in 2024.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 69.68 years in 1961.
How does Ireland rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
Ireland ranks 23rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland 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 Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 10 October 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years/ireland/

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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.