Life expectancy in Iceland drops for both men and women between 2022 and 2023

Life expectancy in Iceland has decreased between the years 2022 and 2023. In 2023, the average life expectancy for men was 80.7 years, while for women it was 83.8 years. This marks a drop of 0.4 years for men and 0.1 years for women compared to the previous year. Life expectancy figures represent the average number of years an individual is expected to live from birth, based on age-specific mortality rates.

Since 1985, Icelandic men have gained nearly six additional years of life expectancy, whereas women have seen an increase of almost four years.

Education plays a significant role in life expectancy. Individuals with a university education are more likely to have a longer lifespan compared to those with less education. For instance, in 2023, the expected life span of a 30-year-old woman with a university degree was 56.4 years—four years longer than that of her peers with only primary school education. Similarly, the life expectancy for 30-year-old men with a university degree was 53.8 years, five years longer than for those with only primary schooling.

From 2011 to 2023, the life expectancy of university-educated individuals increased the most, by 1.7 years, while high school graduates saw an increase of 1.3 years. Conversely, life expectancy decreased among those with only primary education, down by 0.2 years.