Life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Life expectancy at birth, total was 81.39 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
81.39 years
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
42nd
of 218 countries
All-time high
81.39 years
in 2024
All-time low
70.83 years
in 1963
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom stood at 81.39 years. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom peaked at 81.39 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 70.83 years, in 1963.
United Kingdom ranks 42nd 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 71.13 years | — |
| 1961 | 70.88 years | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 70.93 years | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 70.83 years | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 71.62 years | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 71.62 years | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 71.57 years | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 72.12 years | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 71.72 years | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 71.72 years | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 71.97 years | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 72.27 years | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 72.12 years | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 72.32 years | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 72.52 years | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 72.72 years | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 72.78 years | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 73.22 years | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 73.18 years | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 73.28 years | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 73.68 years | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 74.03 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 74.18 years | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 74.38 years | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 74.78 years | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 74.63 years | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 74.93 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 75.28 years | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 75.38 years | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 75.58 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 75.88 years | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 76.08 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 76.43 years | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 76.39 years | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 76.89 years | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 76.84 years | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 77.09 years | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 77.21 years | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 77.19 years | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 77.39 years | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 77.74 years | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 77.99 years | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 78.14 years | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 78.45 years | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 78.75 years | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 79.05 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 79.25 years | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 79.45 years | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 79.6 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.05 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 80.4 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 80.95 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 80.9 years | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 81 years | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 81.3 years | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 80.96 years | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 81.16 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 81.26 years | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 81.26 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 81.37 years | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 80.33 years | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 80.65 years | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 81.01 years | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 81.24 years | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 81.39 years | +0.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 81.39 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.36 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 81.39 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 79.78 years, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 71.42 years | 70.83 years | 72.12 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.64 years | 71.97 years | 73.28 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.68 years | 73.68 years | 75.58 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.74 years | 75.88 years | 77.39 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.85 years | 77.74 years | 80.05 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.06 years | 80.4 years | 81.37 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.92 years | 80.33 years | 81.39 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More health data for United Kingdom
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.71 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0265 % change on previous year (2090)
- 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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7128 % 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 0.0247 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7724 % 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 at birth, total in United Kingdom?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom was 81.39 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 81.39 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.83 years in 1963.
- How does United Kingdom rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- United Kingdom ranks 42nd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.