Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Australia
Australia: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 83.05 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
83.05 years
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
21st
of 215 countries
All-time high
83.3 years
in 2021
All-time low
71.02 years
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Life expectancy at birth, total in Australia, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy at birth, total in Australia stood at 83.05 years.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Australia peaked at 83.3 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 71.02 years, in 1970.
That places Australia 21st out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 71.02 years | — |
| 1971 | 71.07 years | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 71.46 years | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 71.85 years | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 72.24 years | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 72.63 years | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 73.01 years | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 73.34 years | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 73.67 years | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 74 years | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 74.33 years | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 74.66 years | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 74.9 years | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 75.15 years | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 75.39 years | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 75.63 years | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 75.87 years | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 76.15 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 76.43 years | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 76.71 years | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 76.99 years | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 77.28 years | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 77.38 years | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 77.88 years | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 77.88 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 77.83 years | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 78.08 years | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 78.48 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 78.63 years | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 78.93 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 79.23 years | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 79.63 years | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 79.94 years | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 80.24 years | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 80.49 years | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 80.84 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 81.04 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 81.29 years | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 81.4 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 81.54 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 81.7 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 81.9 years | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 82.05 years | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 82.15 years | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 82.3 years | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 82.4 years | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 82.45 years | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 82.5 years | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 82.75 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 82.9 years | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 83.2 years | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 83.3 years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 83.2 years | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 83.05 years | -0.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 83.05 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.17 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 83.05 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 72.43 years | 71.02 years | 74 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.52 years | 74.33 years | 76.71 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.94 years | 76.99 years | 78.93 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.56 years | 79.23 years | 81.54 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.31 years | 81.7 years | 82.9 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.19 years | 83.05 years | 83.3 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 18 Macao 83.18 years compare
- 19 Faroe Islands 83.14 years compare
- 20 Norway 83.11 years compare
- 22 New Zealand 83 years compare
- 23 France 82.93 years compare
- 24 United Arab Emirates 82.91 years compare
More population data for Australia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.5755 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2553 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 32,193 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8589 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2773 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.503 (2100)
- Population density 5.61 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.09 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Australia?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Australia was 83.05 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 83.3 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.02 years in 1970.
- How does Australia rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Australia ranks 21st out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release