Life Expectancy at Birth in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Life Expectancy at Birth was 81.39 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
81.39
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
42nd
of 216 countries
All-time high
81.39
in 2024
All-time low
70.83
in 1963
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life Expectancy at Birth in United Kingdom, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 81.39 for life expectancy at birth in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in United Kingdom peaked at 81.39 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 70.83, in 1963.
That places United Kingdom 42nd out of 216 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life Expectancy at Birth in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 71.13 | — |
| 1961 | 70.88 | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 70.93 | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 70.83 | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 71.62 | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 71.62 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 71.57 | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 72.12 | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 71.72 | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 71.72 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 71.97 | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 72.27 | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 72.12 | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 72.32 | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 72.52 | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 72.72 | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 72.78 | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 73.22 | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 73.18 | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 73.28 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 73.68 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 74.03 | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 74.18 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 74.38 | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 74.78 | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 74.63 | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 74.93 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 75.28 | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 75.38 | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 75.58 | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 75.88 | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 76.08 | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 76.43 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 76.39 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 76.89 | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 76.84 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 77.09 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 77.21 | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 77.19 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 77.39 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 77.74 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 77.99 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 78.14 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 78.45 | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 78.75 | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 79.05 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 79.25 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 79.45 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 79.6 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.05 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 80.4 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 80.95 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 80.9 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 81 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 81.3 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 80.96 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 81.16 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 81.26 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 81.26 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 81.37 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 80.33 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 80.65 | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 81.01 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 81.24 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 81.39 | +0.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 81.39 is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.36, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 81.39 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 79.88, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 71.42 | 70.83 | 72.12 | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.64 | 71.97 | 73.28 | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.68 | 73.68 | 75.58 | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.74 | 75.88 | 77.39 | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.85 | 77.74 | 80.05 | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.06 | 80.4 | 81.37 | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.92 | 80.33 | 81.39 | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More gender data for United Kingdom
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 11,226 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.9161 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 60,060 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 60,060 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.7034 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 335,907 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 353,938 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 340,922 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 359,075 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 343,706 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in United Kingdom?
- Life expectancy at birth in United Kingdom was 81.39 in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 81.39 in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.83 in 1963.
- How does United Kingdom rank for life expectancy at birth?
- United Kingdom ranks 42nd out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.