Life expectancy in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The Office for National Statistics publishes a life table for each nation of the UK.
For men born in 2022-2024, life expectancy was highest in England (79.39 years) and lowest in Scotland (77.12 years). For women born in 2022-2024, life expectancy was highest in England (83.30 years) and lowest in Scotland (81.06 years). For the UK as a whole, life expectancy at birth was 79.12 years for men and 83.02 for women in 2022-2024, against 70.81 and 76.81 in 1980-1982. The highest UK figure for men in the series was 79.29 years, in 2017-2019.
| Nation | Men at birth | Women at birth | Men at 65 | Women at 65 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 79.39 | 83.30 | 18.86 | 21.34 |
| Wales | 78.25 | 82.17 | 18.36 | 20.64 |
| Scotland | 77.12 | 81.06 | 17.71 | 19.85 |
| Northern Ireland | 78.78 | 82.61 | 18.55 | 20.79 |
| United Kingdom | 79.12 | 83.02 | 18.73 | 21.16 |
Since 1980-1982
| Period | England | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-2024 | 79.4 / 83.3 | 78.3 / 82.2 | 77.1 / 81.1 | 78.8 / 82.6 | 79.1 / 83.0 |
| 2020-2022 | 78.8 / 82.8 | 77.9 / 81.8 | 76.5 / 80.7 | 78.4 / 82.3 | 78.6 / 82.6 |
| 2015-2017 | 79.4 / 83.1 | 78.2 / 82.2 | 77.0 / 81.1 | 78.5 / 82.3 | 79.1 / 82.8 |
| 2010-2012 | 79.0 / 82.8 | 78.1 / 82.1 | 76.5 / 80.8 | 77.7 / 82.1 | 78.7 / 82.6 |
| 2005-2007 | 77.5 / 81.7 | 76.7 / 81.1 | 74.8 / 79.7 | 76.2 / 81.2 | 77.1 / 81.4 |
| 2000-2002 | 75.9 / 80.6 | 75.3 / 80.0 | 73.3 / 78.8 | 75.2 / 80.1 | 75.6 / 80.4 |
| 1995-1997 | 74.5 / 79.6 | 73.8 / 79.1 | 72.2 / 77.9 | 73.8 / 79.2 | 74.2 / 79.4 |
| 1990-1992 | 73.4 / 78.9 | 73.1 / 78.8 | 71.4 / 77.1 | 72.6 / 78.4 | 73.2 / 78.7 |
| 1985-1987 | 72.2 / 77.9 | 71.6 / 77.5 | 70.2 / 76.2 | 70.9 / 77.1 | 71.9 / 77.7 |
| 1980-1982 | 71.1 / 77.0 | 70.5 / 76.4 | 69.1 / 75.3 | 69.2 / 75.5 | 70.8 / 76.8 |
How the four nations' figures differ
- ONS publishes a national life table for each of the four nations using the same method, so these are the one subject on this list where the four figures are measured the same way.
- These are period life expectancies: the average number of years a person would live if they experienced the death rates of the three years shown for the rest of their life. They are not forecasts of how long people born now will live.
- Each table covers three calendar years of deaths and population estimates, which smooths out year-to-year changes in smaller populations such as Northern Ireland's.
Other subjects compared across the UK nations
- Council tax in England, Scotland and Wales, and rates in Northern Ireland
- Prescription charges in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- University tuition fees in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Sources and receipts
- ONS national life tables, Englandread 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
081f3c52bcde5da2…· publisher's page - ONS national life tables, Walesread 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
b075ff4387cc105b…· publisher's page - ONS national life tables, Scotlandread 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
4c219fbdafdd870d…· publisher's page - ONS national life tables, Northern Irelandread 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
f8ba2c0d19a06de7…· publisher's page - ONS national life tables, United Kingdomread 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
cbc71edc1a46b75f…· publisher's page
This page states each government's figures. It gives no view on whether a figure is high or low. To report an error, send a correction request.