Yorkie Lifespan: How Long Do Yorkshire Terriers Really Live?
The best current estimate is that Yorkshire Terriers live a median of 13.3 years: half live longer, half don't get that far. That comes from the largest study of UK dog lifespans so far, which covered 584,734 dogs, including 14,579 Yorkies. It's almost a year longer than the median for dogs overall. A second large UK study points the same way, and it ranked the Yorkie second of the 18 breeds it covered.
Key takeaways
- Yorkshire Terriers have a median lifespan of 13.3 years, against 12.5 for dogs overall (McMillan et al. 2024).
- A separate study put their life expectancy at birth at 12.5 years, second only to the Jack Russell Terrier (Teng et al. 2022).
- In UK vet records, brain and kidney disorders were the most common recorded causes of death, and no single cause dominated (O'Neill et al. 2025).
- Reaching 20 would be very unusual. The oldest Yorkie in that vet records study died at about 19.
- With a 13.3-year median, a Yorkie reaches the senior stage at about 10.
Yorkie lifespan in numbers
Median lifespan from the 2024 study of 584,734 UK dogs. Yorkies beat the average for small purebreds as well as the average for all dogs.
| Source | What it measured | Yorkshire Terrier | All dogs |
|---|---|---|---|
| McMillan et al. 2024584,734 UK dogs | Median lifespan | 13.3 years95% CI 13.3–13.4 | 12.5 years |
| Teng et al. 202230,563 UK dogs that died | Life expectancy at birth | 12.5 years95% CI 12.3–12.8 | 11.2 years |
| O'Neill et al. 2025464 UK Yorkies that died | Median age at death | 13.6 years | 12.0 yearsfrom an earlier UK study |
| American Kennel Club | General breed range | 11–15 years | Not given |
Why the two studies give different numbers
A median of 13.3 and a life expectancy of 12.5 aren't in conflict. They answer slightly different questions using different dogs.
McMillan's team pooled 18 sources, including breed registries, vet groups, pet insurers and charities, and counted living dogs as well as dead ones. A median is simply the age that half of the dogs get past.
Teng's team used about 1,040 Yorkies that died at UK primary-care vet practices between 2016 and 2020. They built a life table, which takes the share of dogs dying at each age and estimates how long a newborn puppy would live on average. An average gets pulled down by deaths at young ages in a way a median doesn't, and these are different groups of dogs, so a gap of under a year is not surprising. Not every breed's figures agree this well. For Chihuahuas, published numbers run from 7.9 to 16 years.
Can a Yorkie live to 15, 18 or 20?
Fifteen is realistic, and it's the top of the AKC's range. In Teng's life table, a Yorkie's remaining life expectancy fell below 1.5 years between the ages of 14 and 15, so dogs that reach that age are already well into old age.
Past that, the numbers thin out. In a 2025 study of UK vet records, the oldest of 464 Yorkies that died was 19.08 years old, and a quarter of them lived past about 15. Across all dogs in McMillan's data, 95% had died by about 18.3 years. We found no verified 20-year-old Yorkie in these studies. Stories of very old Yorkies are easy to find online, but they are hard to check, so treat them as the rare exception at best.
Do teacup Yorkies live shorter lives?
We couldn't find a study that measures it, so we won't give you a number. "Teacup" isn't a category in the lifespan studies above, and the AKC breed standard doesn't define it. The standard only says a Yorkie's weight must not exceed seven pounds. Real Yorkies vary a lot: in the 2025 UK study, the median adult weighed about 11 lbs (5.06 kg), and adults ranged from about 2 to 33 lbs.
That means the 13.3-year median can't be assumed to apply to a very tiny Yorkie, in either direction. If your dog is well below the usual size, ask your vet what to watch for.
Do female Yorkies live longer than males?
Not by any meaningful margin. In the 2025 UK study, females died at a median of 13.57 years and males at 13.50, and the difference wasn't statistically significant. That's based on 464 deaths, so it's a useful guide rather than a final word. Across all breeds, females tend to live slightly longer: a median of 12.7 years against 12.4 for males in McMillan's data.
What do Yorkies usually die from?
No single cause dominates. The 2025 study looked at the 378 Yorkie deaths with a recorded medical cause. The most common groups were:
- Brain disorders: 9.8%
- Kidney disorders: 8.7%
- Appetite disorders: 8.2%
These add up to about a quarter of those deaths, so the rest were spread across many other causes. Most of the dogs, about 86% of those with a recorded method of death, were put to sleep rather than dying on their own. The study's authors read the breed's long lifespan as a sign of generally good health, though they note that a longer life doesn't always mean more healthy years.
Health issues that come up in Yorkies
These three are worth knowing about. Your vet is the right person to talk to about your own dog.
- Teeth. Periodontal (gum) disease was the most common diagnosis in the 2025 UK study, affecting 21.1% of Yorkies in a single year, and it was more common in males. In a US study of more than 3 million vet records, breeds under about 14 lbs were up to five times more likely to be diagnosed with it than giant breeds.
- Collapsing trachea. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons names Yorkies among the small breeds most often affected. The classic sign is a harsh, dry cough that sounds like a goose honking. It's a long-term condition, and treatment depends on severity. The same page recommends a body harness instead of a neck lead for affected dogs. If you hear that cough, book a vet visit.
- Liver shunt. In a study of records from veterinary teaching hospitals, 2.9% of Yorkshire Terriers had a congenital portosystemic shunt, an abnormal blood vessel that bypasses the liver, against 0.05% of mixed-breed dogs. Most Yorkies don't have one, and hospital records can run higher than the general dog population.
What this means for your Yorkie
- Plan for senior care at about 10. AAHA treats the last quarter of a dog's expected lifespan as the senior stage. With a 13.3-year median, that starts at about 10 for a Yorkshire Terrier. Ask your vet when they'd like to start twice-yearly checkups.
- Read the median as a midpoint, not a deadline. Half of the Yorkies in the study lived longer than 13.3 years.
- Keep up with their teeth. Gum disease was the most common diagnosis in Yorkies, and in the US study above, age and time since the last dental cleaning were both risk factors.
- Convert your Yorkie's age with the breed in mind. On our scale, a 10-year-old Yorkie is about 65 in human years and a 15-year-old about 79. Our Yorkshire Terrier age calculator does the rest, and our guide explains how dog years work.
How old is your Yorkie in human years? Enter their age for a breed-specific answer and life stage.
Frequently asked questions
How long do Yorkies live?
A median of 13.3 years, according to a 2024 study of 584,734 UK dogs that included 14,579 Yorkshire Terriers. The median for all dogs in that study was 12.5 years.
What do Yorkies usually die from?
No single cause dominates. In a 2025 study of UK vet records, the most common recorded causes were brain disorders (9.8%), kidney disorders (8.7%) and appetite disorders (8.2%).
Can a Yorkie live to 20?
It would be very unusual. The oldest of 464 Yorkies that died in a 2025 UK vet records study was about 19, and we found no verified 20-year-old Yorkie in the studies we read.
Do teacup Yorkies have a shorter lifespan?
We couldn't find a study that measures it. "Teacup" isn't a separate category in the lifespan studies, and the AKC standard only sets a maximum weight of seven pounds.
Do female Yorkies live longer than males?
Not by a meaningful margin. In a 2025 UK study, females died at a median of 13.57 years and males at 13.50, and the difference wasn't statistically significant.
When is a Yorkie considered a senior?
From about 10 years old. That's the last 25% of a 13.3-year median lifespan, which is how AAHA defines the senior stage.
What is old for a Yorkie?
A Yorkie over 13 has outlived about half of the breed, based on the 13.3-year median. In human years, a 13-year-old Yorkie is about 74 on our scale.
Sources
- McMillan KM, Bielby J, Williams CL, Upjohn MM, Casey RA, Christley RM (2024). Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14: 531. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
- Teng KT, Brodbelt DC, Pegram C, Church DB, O'Neill DG (2022). Life tables of annual life expectancy and mortality for companion dogs in the United Kingdom. Scientific Reports 12: 6415. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10341-6
- O'Neill DG, et al. (2025). Yorkshire Terriers under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography and disorders. Canine Medicine and Genetics 12: 6. doi.org/10.1186/s40575-025-00145-y
- Creevy KE, et al. (2019). 2019 AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 55(6): 267–290. doi.org/10.5326/JAAHA-MS-6999
- Wallis C, Saito EK, Salt C, Holcombe LJ, Desforges NG (2021). Association of periodontal disease with breed size, breed, weight, and age in pure-bred client-owned dogs in the United States. The Veterinary Journal 275: 105717. doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2021.105717
- Tobias KM, Rohrbach BW (2003). Association of breed with the diagnosis of congenital portosystemic shunts in dogs: 2,400 cases (1980–2002). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 223(11): 1636–1639. doi.org/10.2460/javma.2003.223.1636
- American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Tracheal Collapse.
- American Kennel Club. Yorkshire Terrier breed profile and official breed standard.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Always consult a licensed veterinarian for questions about your dog's health.
