In 2024, the life expectancy in Iceland was 80.9 years for men and 84.3 years for women. Life expectancy at birth measures how long, on average, people can expect to live based on population age-specific mortality rates. During the past 35 years, life expectancy in Iceland has increased by five and four years for men and women respectively. Life expectancy for women increased by 0.5 years from 2023 to 2024, while it increased slightly less or by 0.2 for men.
Infant mortality in Iceland third lowest in Europe
In 2024, 2,610 Icelandic residents died; 1,365 men and 1,245 women. The mortality rate was 6.8 per 1,000 inhabitants.
In 2024, infant mortality in Iceland was 1.4 children out of every 1,000 live births, 0.9 lower than in 2023. On the other hand, looking at ten-year average (2014–2023), infant mortality in Iceland averaged 2.0 children out of every 1,000 live births. Apart from Andorra (1.8), Finland (1.9) and Slovenia (2.0), infant mortality was lowest in Iceland followed by Estonia and Norway which both had a rate of 2.1. The highest infant mortality rate in the period from 2014 to 2023 was in Azerbaijan (10.9).
Life expectancy of university educated increased the most
In 2024, the remaining life expectancy of 30-year-old women with primary education was 52.4 years, while 30-year-old men with primary education could expect to live an additional 48.8 years. Women with secondary education could expect to live nearly three years longer than their counterparts with primary education, or 55.2 years from age 30. The difference was slightly greater among men, where the remaining life expectancy of 30-year-old men with secondary education was on average 52.0 years, or more than three years longer than for men with primary education. Thirty-year-old university educated individuals could expect to live much longer than those with less education.
Thus, the estimated remaining life expectancy of 30-year-old women with university education was 56.7 years, or four years longer than 30-year-old women with primary education in 2024. The remaining life expectancy of 30-year-old men with university education was 53.9 years, or five years longer than 30-year-old men with primary education. From 2011 to 2024, the life expectancy of university educated people increased the most, by 1.8 years, while it increased by 1.2 years among those with secondary education and decreased by 0.4 years among those with primary education.
About life expectancy and mortality rates
The ten years average values for life expectancy and mortality rates are based on Eurostat database. Excluded are data from San Marino, since information is missing for most of the examined period. In 2025, stillbirth figures were revised for the underlying period and reduced for individual years.