Evidence guide

How long does a knee replacement last?

Modern knee replacements are durable. Here is what large registry studies show, and what affects whether a knee will need a second operation.

Last reviewed October 8, 2026

The short answer

About 96 in 100 knee replacements are still working at 10 years, and about 90 in 100 at 20 years.²
Pooled data from 14 national registries suggest about 82% last 25 years.¹
Younger, more active patients have a higher lifetime chance of needing a revision.²

The numbers

Time after surgery	Still in place	Source
10 years	96.1%	UK cohort of 54,276 knee replacements²
20 years	89.7%	Same UK cohort²
25 years	82.3%	Pooled data from 14 national registries¹

Partial knee replacements have shorter survival: about 70% at 25 years in the same pooled registry analysis.¹ See partial vs total.

In a series of 781 revision surgeries, the most common reasons were:³

Loosening of the implant from the bone (about 40%)
Infection (about 27%), the most common reason for revision in the first two years
Instability (about 8%)
Fracture of the bone around the implant (about 5%)
Stiffness from scar tissue (about 5%)

Wear of the plastic spacer, once a leading cause, is much less common with modern materials.³

Age. For patients over 70, the lifetime chance of revision was about 5%. For men in their early 50s it was about 35%.²
Weight. Obesity is linked to more revisions, and the risk rises sharply at very high BMI.⁴
Infection risk factors. Smoking and diabetes raise the risk of infection, the main cause of early failure.⁵
Implant design. Most design differences have small effects; registry data matter more than marketing. See implant designs.

Evans JT, et al. How long does a knee replacement last? A systematic review and meta-analysis of case series and national registry reports with more than 15 years of follow-up. Lancet. 2019;393(10172):655-663. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32531-5
Bayliss LE, et al. The effect of patient age at intervention on risk of implant revision after total replacement of the hip or knee: a population-based cohort study. Lancet. 2017;389(10077):1424-1430. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30059-4
Sharkey PF, et al. Why are total knee arthroplasties failing today: has anything changed after 10 years? J Arthroplasty. 2014;29(9):1774-1778. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2013.07.024
Onggo JR, et al. Greater risk of all-cause revisions and complications for obese patients in 3 106 381 total knee arthroplasties: a meta-analysis and systematic review. ANZ J Surg. 2021;91(11):2308-2321. doi:10.1111/ans.17138
Gao H, et al. Factors associated with periprosthetic joint infection following total knee arthroplasty: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2026;146(1). doi:10.1007/s00402-026-06492-0