Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Iceland
Iceland: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 82.61 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
82.61 years
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
27th
of 215 countries
All-time high
83.17 years
in 2021
All-time low
73.57 years
in 1971
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Life expectancy at birth, total in Iceland, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 82.61 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Iceland peaked at 83.17 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 73.57 years, in 1971.
Iceland ranks 27th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 Iceland, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 73.93 years | — |
| 1971 | 73.57 years | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 74.46 years | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 74.45 years | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 74.51 years | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 75.58 years | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 76.97 years | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 76.37 years | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 76.65 years | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 76.77 years | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 76.85 years | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 76.52 years | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 77.04 years | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 76.85 years | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 77.58 years | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 77.6 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 77.99 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 77.34 years | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 77.08 years | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 78.14 years | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 78.04 years | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 77.99 years | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 78.76 years | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 78.93 years | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 79.25 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 77.98 years | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 78.78 years | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 78.89 years | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 79.6 years | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 79.35 years | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 79.65 years | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 80.69 years | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 80.5 years | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 80.96 years | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 81 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 81.5 years | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 81.16 years | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 81.45 years | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 81.61 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 81.75 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 81.9 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 82.36 years | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 82.92 years | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 82.06 years | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 82.86 years | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 82.47 years | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 82.2 years | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 82.66 years | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 82.86 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 83.16 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 83.06 years | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 83.17 years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 82.12 years | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 82.61 years | +0.6% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 82.61 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.17 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 82.61 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 79.74 years, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 75.33 years | 73.57 years | 76.97 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 77.3 years | 76.52 years | 78.14 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.76 years | 77.98 years | 79.6 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.03 years | 79.65 years | 81.75 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.55 years | 81.9 years | 83.16 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.74 years | 82.12 years | 83.17 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More population data for Iceland
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -5.08 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.2688 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 408.78 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4806 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6617 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.502 (2100)
- Population density 3.6 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 13,661 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Iceland?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Iceland was 82.61 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 83.17 years in 2021.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.57 years in 1971.
- How does Iceland rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Iceland ranks 27th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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