Life expectancy in Estonia
Estonia: Life expectancy was 79.15 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
79.15 years
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
65th
of 236 countries
All-time high
79.15 years
in 2023
All-time low
43 years
in 1897
Years of data
78
1897–2023
Life expectancy in Estonia, 1897–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy in Estonia stood at 79.15 years. That is the highest value across all 78 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Estonia peaked at 79.15 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 43 years, in 1897.
Estonia ranks 65th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 78 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Estonia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1897 | 43 years | — |
| 1900 | 43.1 years | +0.2% |
| 1922 | 51.7 years | +20.0% |
| 1935 | 56.27 years | +8.8% |
| 1950 | 66.36 years | +17.9% |
| 1951 | 66.75 years | +0.6% |
| 1952 | 67.15 years | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 67.5 years | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 67.83 years | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 68.17 years | +0.5% |
| 1956 | 68.49 years | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 68.77 years | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 68.75 years | -0.0% |
| 1959 | 68.67 years | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 69.34 years | +1.0% |
| 1961 | 69.64 years | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 69.84 years | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 69.89 years | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 70.65 years | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 70.72 years | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 70.66 years | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 70.98 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 70.61 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 70.27 years | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 70.4 years | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 70.6 years | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 70.38 years | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 70.69 years | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 70.81 years | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 70.12 years | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 69.74 years | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 69.83 years | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 69.66 years | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 69.41 years | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 69.47 years | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 69.34 years | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 69.86 years | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 69.79 years | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 69.64 years | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 69.77 years | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 70.91 years | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 70.92 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 70.97 years | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 70.5 years | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 69.92 years | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 69.79 years | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 69.16 years | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 68.22 years | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 66.74 years | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 67.81 years | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 70.03 years | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 70.24 years | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 69.84 years | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 70.68 years | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 71.01 years | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 70.83 years | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 71.36 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 71.92 years | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 72.38 years | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 73.03 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 73.2 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 73.15 years | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 74.28 years | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 75.15 years | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 75.88 years | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 76.35 years | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 76.42 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 77.25 years | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 77.11 years | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 77.67 years | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 77.76 years | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 78.18 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 78.33 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 78.77 years | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 78.89 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 77.41 years | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 78.17 years | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 79.15 years | +1.3% |
Estonia compared with similar countries
- Estonia's 79.15 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 81 years, 98% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Estonia's 79.15 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 79.72 years, 99% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 43 years | 43 years | 43 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 43.1 years | 43.1 years | 43.1 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 51.7 years | 51.7 years | 51.7 years | 1 |
| 1930s | 56.27 years | 56.27 years | 56.27 years | 1 |
| 1950s | 67.85 years | 66.36 years | 68.77 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 70.26 years | 69.34 years | 70.98 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 70.16 years | 69.41 years | 70.81 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 70.12 years | 69.34 years | 70.97 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 69.24 years | 66.74 years | 70.68 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.63 years | 70.83 years | 75.15 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.37 years | 75.88 years | 78.77 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.41 years | 77.41 years | 79.15 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Estonia
- 62 Anguilla 79.31 years compare
- 63 United States 79.3 years compare
- 64 Falkland Islands 79.21 years compare
- 66 Northern Mariana Islands 78.81 years compare
- 67 New Caledonia 78.77 years compare
- 68 Saudi Arabia 78.73 years compare
More health data for Estonia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -1.02 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,416 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -6.8 % 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 0.021 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -6.34 % 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 in Estonia?
- Life expectancy in Estonia was 79.15 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Estonia?
- The highest recorded value was 79.15 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Estonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 43 years in 1897.
- How does Estonia rank for life expectancy?
- Estonia ranks 65th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Estonia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Estonia data come from?
- The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 78 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.