Life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Life expectancy at birth, total was 81.24 years in 2023. β² Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom, 1970β2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom stood at 81.24 years.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom peaked at 81.37 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 71.97 years, in 1970.
That places United Kingdom 42nd out of 212 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 72.64 years | 71.97 years | 73.28 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.68 years | 73.68 years | 75.58 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.74 years | 75.88 years | 77.39 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.85 years | 77.74 years | 80.05 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.06 years | 80.4 years | 81.37 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.81 years | 80.33 years | 81.24 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More population data for United Kingdom
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.184 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 3.21 million (2100)
- Population density 307.14 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.184 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.55 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 515,677 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.55 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.55 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.0505 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.56 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in United Kingdom was 81.24 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 81.37 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.97 years in 1970.
- How does United Kingdom rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- United Kingdom ranks 42nd out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 Β· JSON β 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release