What is life expectancy at birth in Iceland?

Life expectancy at birth in Iceland was 82.69 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Iceland?

The highest recorded value was 82.85 years in 2019.

What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Iceland?

The lowest recorded value was 71 years in 1951.

How does Iceland rank for life expectancy at birth?

Iceland ranks 25th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.

Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Iceland?

Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Iceland data come from?

The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Life expectancy at birth in Iceland

Name: Life expectancy at birth in Iceland
Creator: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Iceland: Life expectancy at birth was 82.69 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

82.69 years

Change on year

up 1.4%

World rank

25th

of 236 countries

All-time high

82.85 years

in 2019

All-time low

71 years

in 1951

Years of data

1950–2023

Life expectancy at birth in Iceland, 1950–2023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in Iceland is 82.69 years, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Iceland peaked at 82.85 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 71 years, in 1951.

Iceland ranks 25th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	72.56 years	71 years	73.39 years	10
1960s	73.57 years	72.94 years	74.05 years	10
1970s	75.1 years	73.49 years	76.63 years	10
1980s	77.04 years	76.19 years	77.93 years	10
1990s	78.54 years	77.54 years	79.4 years	10
2000s	80.76 years	79.55 years	81.42 years	10
2010s	82.16 years	81.59 years	82.85 years	10
2020s	82.46 years	81.59 years	82.84 years	4

Countries ranked near Iceland

22 Macao 83.08 years compare
23 Vatican 82.98 years compare
24 United Arab Emirates 82.91 years compare
26 Canada 82.63 years compare
28 Ireland 82.41 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Iceland

Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,358 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
Number of infants who die before age 1 0 deaths (2100)
Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 2,836 (2025)
Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 2,804 (2025)
Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 2,804 (2025)
Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 2,697 (2025)
Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 2,653 (2025)
Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 2,582 (2025)

All data for Iceland →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth in Iceland?: Life expectancy at birth in Iceland was 82.69 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Iceland?: The highest recorded value was 82.85 years in 2019.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Iceland?: The lowest recorded value was 71 years in 1951.
How does Iceland rank for life expectancy at birth?: Iceland ranks 25th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Iceland?: Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iceland data come from?: The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Life expectancy at birth
Unit: years
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Period life expectancy at birth.