Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Iceland
Iceland: Probability that a man will outlive a woman was 41.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
41.0%
Change on year
up 6.1%
World rank
77th
of 236 countries
All-time high
51.2%
in 1891
All-time low
35.0%
in 1983
Years of data
186
1838–2023
Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Iceland, 1838–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 41.0% for probability that a man will outlive a woman in 2023.
The figure is up 6.1% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, probability that a man will outlive a woman in Iceland peaked at 51.2% in 1891 and was at its lowest, 35.0%, in 1983.
Iceland ranks 77th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 186 years of available data.
Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1838 | 46.3% | — |
| 1839 | 47.6% | +2.8% |
| 1840 | 48.3% | +1.6% |
| 1841 | 46.9% | -2.9% |
| 1842 | 40.6% | -13.5% |
| 1843 | 43.8% | +7.9% |
| 1844 | 45.8% | +4.6% |
| 1845 | 45.5% | -0.6% |
| 1846 | 48.7% | +7.0% |
| 1847 | 45.3% | -7.1% |
| 1848 | 44.8% | -1.0% |
| 1849 | 45.2% | +0.8% |
| 1850 | 47.1% | +4.3% |
| 1851 | 44.8% | -4.9% |
| 1852 | 46.6% | +3.8% |
| 1853 | 42.7% | -8.2% |
| 1854 | 41.9% | -1.8% |
| 1855 | 43.7% | +4.3% |
| 1856 | 42.6% | -2.7% |
| 1857 | 43.7% | +2.7% |
| 1858 | 46.8% | +7.0% |
| 1859 | 46.5% | -0.6% |
| 1860 | 46.8% | +0.6% |
| 1861 | 45.9% | -1.8% |
| 1862 | 47.2% | +2.7% |
| 1863 | 42.0% | -10.9% |
| 1864 | 43.1% | +2.5% |
| 1865 | 44.1% | +2.4% |
| 1866 | 46.3% | +5.0% |
| 1867 | 41.0% | -11.5% |
| 1868 | 42.6% | +3.9% |
| 1869 | 45.7% | +7.3% |
| 1870 | 41.7% | -8.9% |
| 1871 | 44.0% | +5.6% |
| 1872 | 49.3% | +12.1% |
| 1873 | 45.9% | -6.9% |
| 1874 | 45.9% | +0.1% |
| 1875 | 43.9% | -4.4% |
| 1876 | 44.7% | +1.8% |
| 1877 | 42.7% | -4.5% |
| 1878 | 43.9% | +2.8% |
| 1879 | 39.4% | -10.4% |
| 1880 | 45.3% | +15.1% |
| 1881 | 47.7% | +5.4% |
| 1882 | 47.3% | -0.9% |
| 1883 | 46.0% | -2.8% |
| 1884 | 43.5% | -5.2% |
| 1885 | 43.5% | -0.1% |
| 1886 | 46.0% | +5.7% |
| 1887 | 41.7% | -9.2% |
| 1888 | 40.4% | -3.1% |
| 1889 | 45.5% | +12.5% |
| 1890 | 44.9% | -1.3% |
| 1891 | 51.2% | +14.2% |
| 1892 | 43.2% | -15.8% |
| 1893 | 39.6% | -8.2% |
| 1894 | 39.5% | -0.3% |
| 1895 | 45.0% | +14.1% |
| 1896 | 43.2% | -4.2% |
| 1897 | 43.9% | +1.7% |
| 1898 | 42.1% | -4.1% |
| 1899 | 40.9% | -2.9% |
| 1900 | 42.8% | +4.6% |
| 1901 | 41.6% | -2.9% |
| 1902 | 47.2% | +13.5% |
| 1903 | 46.7% | -1.0% |
| 1904 | 43.9% | -6.0% |
| 1905 | 42.2% | -3.8% |
| 1906 | 37.7% | -10.7% |
| 1907 | 44.1% | +16.9% |
| 1908 | 44.0% | -0.2% |
| 1909 | 47.3% | +7.6% |
| 1910 | 44.6% | -5.9% |
| 1911 | 43.1% | -3.2% |
| 1912 | 42.8% | -0.9% |
| 1913 | 44.4% | +3.8% |
| 1914 | 41.5% | -6.6% |
| 1915 | 41.8% | +0.8% |
| 1916 | 41.0% | -2.0% |
| 1917 | 43.7% | +6.7% |
| 1918 | 46.2% | +5.8% |
| 1919 | 43.9% | -5.1% |
| 1920 | 44.5% | +1.4% |
| 1921 | 40.1% | -9.9% |
| 1922 | 39.6% | -1.2% |
| 1923 | 41.3% | +4.4% |
| 1924 | 40.8% | -1.2% |
| 1925 | 45.3% | +11.0% |
| 1926 | 43.8% | -3.3% |
| 1927 | 45.2% | +3.1% |
| 1928 | 48.0% | +6.2% |
| 1929 | 47.8% | -0.4% |
| 1930 | 43.7% | -8.5% |
| 1931 | 45.7% | +4.6% |
| 1932 | 43.6% | -4.6% |
| 1933 | 42.5% | -2.7% |
| 1934 | 45.6% | +7.3% |
| 1935 | 43.8% | -4.0% |
| 1936 | 40.6% | -7.2% |
| 1937 | 44.3% | +9.2% |
| 1938 | 40.2% | -9.3% |
| 1939 | 43.7% | +8.6% |
| 1940 | 41.7% | -4.5% |
| 1941 | 40.3% | -3.3% |
| 1942 | 44.8% | +11.1% |
| 1943 | 46.3% | +3.4% |
| 1944 | 42.1% | -9.2% |
| 1945 | 45.6% | +8.4% |
| 1946 | 41.4% | -9.2% |
| 1947 | 44.1% | +6.6% |
| 1948 | 48.6% | +10.0% |
| 1949 | 44.6% | -8.2% |
| 1950 | 41.8% | -6.3% |
| 1951 | 43.0% | +3.1% |
| 1952 | 41.5% | -3.5% |
| 1953 | 43.3% | +4.3% |
| 1954 | 42.3% | -2.4% |
| 1955 | 41.2% | -2.6% |
| 1956 | 45.1% | +9.5% |
| 1957 | 43.2% | -4.1% |
| 1958 | 40.6% | -6.1% |
| 1959 | 40.2% | -1.0% |
| 1960 | 45.8% | +13.9% |
| 1961 | 39.7% | -13.3% |
| 1962 | 42.2% | +6.3% |
| 1963 | 39.9% | -5.4% |
| 1964 | 40.0% | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 40.7% | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 39.6% | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 39.6% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 41.7% | +5.3% |
| 1969 | 40.5% | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 38.0% | -6.3% |
| 1971 | 38.8% | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 40.7% | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 38.9% | -4.4% |
| 1974 | 37.0% | -4.9% |
| 1975 | 38.1% | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 37.5% | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 38.3% | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 39.8% | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 39.0% | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 37.1% | -5.0% |
| 1981 | 37.7% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 39.3% | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 35.0% | -10.8% |
| 1984 | 38.9% | +11.0% |
| 1985 | 38.6% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 38.3% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 39.6% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 38.6% | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 40.1% | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 39.1% | -2.6% |
| 1991 | 35.7% | -8.8% |
| 1992 | 40.9% | +14.8% |
| 1993 | 41.2% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 40.2% | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 40.5% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 38.5% | -4.8% |
| 1997 | 37.8% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 39.3% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 40.5% | +3.1% |
| 2000 | 43.0% | +6.1% |
| 2001 | 38.8% | -9.7% |
| 2002 | 39.7% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 41.9% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 39.4% | -5.8% |
| 2005 | 40.5% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 41.8% | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 41.5% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 42.0% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 40.6% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 39.3% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 41.0% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 44.1% | +7.4% |
| 2013 | 42.0% | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 41.5% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 43.9% | +5.7% |
| 2016 | 41.4% | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 42.6% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 43.4% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 42.2% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 43.1% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 43.9% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 38.6% | -12.1% |
| 2023 | 41.0% | +6.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 41.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 41.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 37.2%, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1830s | 46.9% | 46.3% | 47.6% | 2 |
| 1840s | 45.5% | 40.6% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 1850s | 44.7% | 41.9% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 1860s | 44.5% | 41.0% | 47.2% | 10 |
| 1870s | 44.1% | 39.4% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 1880s | 44.7% | 40.4% | 47.7% | 10 |
| 1890s | 43.4% | 39.5% | 51.2% | 10 |
| 1900s | 43.7% | 37.7% | 47.3% | 10 |
| 1910s | 43.3% | 41.0% | 46.2% | 10 |
| 1920s | 43.6% | 39.6% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 43.4% | 40.2% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 1940s | 44.0% | 40.3% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 1950s | 42.2% | 40.2% | 45.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 41.0% | 39.6% | 45.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 38.6% | 37.0% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.3% | 35.0% | 40.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 39.4% | 35.7% | 41.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.9% | 38.8% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.1% | 39.3% | 44.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.6% | 38.6% | 43.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 75 Maldives 41.1% compare
- 75 United Kingdom 41.1% compare
- 77 Eswatini 41.0% compare
- 79 Sudan 41.0% compare
- 80 Netherlands 40.9% compare
More gender data for Iceland
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 69.14 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.228 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 345.21 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 345.21 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.7736 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 2,155 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 2,290 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 2,184 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 2,324 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 2,211 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is probability that a man will outlive a woman in Iceland?
- Probability that a man will outlive a woman in Iceland was 41.0% in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest probability that a man will outlive a woman recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 51.2% in 1891.
- What is the lowest probability that a man will outlive a woman recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.0% in 1983.
- How does Iceland rank for probability that a man will outlive a woman?
- Iceland ranks 77th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is probability that a man will outlive a woman rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024); Bergeron-Boucher et al. (2022) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Probability that a man will outlive a woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Probability that a male will live longer than a female if both are randomly selected from the population at birth.