Life expectancy at birth in Ireland
Ireland: Life expectancy at birth was 81.6 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
81.6
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
17th
of 184 countries
All-time high
81.94
in 2019
All-time low
76.42
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Life expectancy at birth in Ireland, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 81.6 for life expectancy at birth in 2021.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Ireland peaked at 81.94 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 76.42, in 2000.
That places Ireland 17th out of 184 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 76.42 | — |
| 2001 | 77.04 | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 77.48 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 78.02 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 78.39 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 78.82 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 79.07 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 79.36 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 79.58 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 79.53 | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 80.62 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 80.39 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 80.49 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 80.71 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 81.05 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 81.14 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 81.41 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 81.6 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 81.71 | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 81.94 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 81.7 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 81.6 | -0.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 81.6 is above the median for high income countries, which is 79.31, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 81.6 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 75.9, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 78.37 | 76.42 | 79.58 | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.11 | 80.39 | 81.94 | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.65 | 81.6 | 81.7 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More health data for Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.89 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,122 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 20 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7228 % 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 0.026 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6489 % 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 in Ireland?
- Life expectancy at birth in Ireland was 81.6 in 2021, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 81.94 in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.42 in 2000.
- How does Ireland rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Ireland ranks 17th out of 184 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Life expectancy at birth (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).