We review the dark decay of the electronic holographic phase grating before thermal fixing, and deduce the general analytic expression of the lifetime of thermal-fixed ionic holograms in the photorefractive crystal, by means of analogizing. Because the ions are optically inactive, the lifetime of thermal-fixed ionic holograms is only closely relate to the ionic decay rate which is determined by the conductivity of ionic species at a given temperature. We theoretically analyze and numerically simulate the influences on the lifetime of ionic grating from the crucial factors in the experiment and application. The results reveal that low temperature, low ion-concentration, and large grating spacing are advantages for extending the life of the thermal-fixed volume holographic phase grating in photorefractive crystal.