United Kingdom life expectancy, 1960 to 2024

A child born in the United Kingdom in 2024 could expect to live 81.4 years at current mortality rates, against 81.2 the year before. In 1960 the figure was 71.1 years.

How it is measured

The figures come from the World Bank's World Development Indicators (indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN). Life expectancy at birth is computed from a period life table: take this year's death rates at every age, and calculate how long a newborn would live if those exact rates held for their whole life. It is a thermometer for current mortality, not a forecast; nobody born today will actually experience today's death rates for ninety years. The underlying data is national vital registration where it is complete, and survey- and model-based estimates aligned with the UN World Population Prospects elsewhere.

What the curve shows

The long rise in this curve is one of the great facts of the modern era, driven first by falling child mortality and later by gains at older ages. The United Kingdom gained 10.3 years over the window shown. The dip in 2020, the pandemic year, shows how the period method reacts to shocks: a bad mortality year lowers the figure immediately, and it snaps back when mortality normalizes.