Deaths, 2013

From 2012 to 2013, life expectancy at birth increased by 0.2 years for both men and women. In the mid-1950s, the gender gap was almost between 2 and 4 years, but increased to almost 7 years in the mid-1980s. Since then, the gender gap has fallen to 4 years.

Japan and Iceland have the highest life expectancy in the world

Figures from Eurostat show that life expectancy for women was higher in some European countries than in Norway 2012. Among these countries, women from France, Spain and Italy stand out with a life expectancy of at least 85 years. In the Nordic countries, women from Iceland, Finland and Sweden had a life expectancy at birth of 84.3, 83.7 and 83.6 respectively. These countries have a higher life expectancy than Norway. Worldwide, women in Japan still have the highest life expectancy, with 86.4 years in 2012. For men, the highest life expectancy in the world was in Iceland with 81.6 years. In the Nordic countries, Swedish men could expect to live to 79.9 years. Danish and Finnish men have a life expectancy of 78.1 and 77.7 years respectively.

Number of deaths stable

In 2013, 41 300 people died in Norway; almost the same number as in the years 2004-2012. A total of 21 300 women and nearly 20 000 men died in 2013. This is about 600 less women, but nearly the same number of men than the year before. The number of deaths per 1 000 of mean population was 7.8 for men and 8.4 for women. This is the lowest mortality rate ever in Norway.

Infant mortality – low for boys

In 2013, 147 children under one year of age died - 68 boys and 79 girls. The infant mortality rate is now only 2.5. For boys it was 2.3, which is the lowest infant mortality rate for boys ever recorded in Norway. For girls it was 2.7. The infant mortality rate is usually lower for girls than boys, however the numbers are affected by random events. In the Nordic countries, Iceland and Finland had a lower infant mortality rate than Norway in 2012, with 1.1 and 2.4 respectively.