Why Aussies are living longer

When the discussion turns to life expectancy, the big question for many older Australians is: how many more years can I expect? 

Well, the good news is that Australians who reach 65 today are, on average, likely to live well into their 80s. 

According to the most recent data, men aged 65 in 2022-24 could expect another 20.1 years, taking them to about 85.1, while women aged 65 could expect another 22.7 years, taking them to about 87.7. 

Life expectancy changes as we age because a person who has reached 65 has already passed many of life’s earlier risks, including infancy, childhood illness, accidents in youth, and the hazards of some workplaces. 

Australia compares well internationally, particularly among wealthy countries with broadly similar health systems and living standards. 

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIWH) says Australia performs better than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average on many health measures, including mortality, perceived health status, and health insurance coverage. 

Australia has the fifth lowest death rate from circulatory diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, among the 38 OECD countries, and the sixth lowest rate of daily smoking among people aged 15 and over. 

These are not small details. Heart disease, stroke, and smoking-related illness have been among the major factors shaping whether people reach older age and how well they live once they get there.  

The change over time is striking. Australia’s life expectancy has improved substantially over the past century, and not only because more children survive to adulthood. 

The AIHW says life expectancy has increased at all ages, although the biggest gains have been at younger ages. People born in the early 1900s could expect, on average, to live to about 55, while people born after 2010 can expect to live to 80 or more. 

For today’s older adults, the more relevant message is that reaching 65 is no longer a marker of being near the end of life. For many, it is the beginning of a further two decades or more.

The reasons are many, and most are the result of steady progress rather than one dramatic breakthrough. 

Australia has benefited from cleaner water, better sanitation, safer childbirth, vaccination, antibiotics, improved nutrition, safer roads, better cancer screening, lower smoking rates, and major advances in treating heart disease and stroke. 

Between 1907 and 2020, Australia recorded a 98% decline in the age-standardised mortality rate from infectious diseases, reflecting the impact of public health measures, childhood immunisation and better treatment.  

There is also a quieter social story behind the numbers. More Australians are living to ages that were once considered exceptional. 

UNSW’s Sydney Centenarian Study reports that in June 2021, Australia had 5,547 people aged 100 or more. It estimates that the number could reach 50,000 by 2050. 

Researchers are increasingly interested not only in how long people live, but how some people manage to live very long lives with resilience and purpose. 

Australian centenarian research has found common themes among those who reach extreme old age, including low smoking rates, moderate physical activity, weight maintenance, social connection, resilience, and an optimistic outlook. 

These findings should not be treated as a simple recipe for living to 100, because genes, luck, income, access to care, and life circumstances all matter. 

The story is not all smooth progress. COVID-19 caused a rare setback in Australia’s long-term improvement in life expectancy, with the AIHW noting a slight decline across the pandemic years, probably linked to increased deaths and excess mortality in 2022 and 2023. 

That reminder is useful. Longevity is not guaranteed, either for individuals or for nations. It depends on strong health systems, prevention, community support, and attention to inequalities.  

Still, the broad picture is positive. Older Australians today are generally living longer than previous generations of older Australians, and many can expect years, not just months, beyond the traditional retirement age. 

The challenge now is to make those extra years as healthy and independent as possible. 

Longer life is one of Australia’s great shared achievements, built through public health advances, safer communities, and everyday changes made across generations. 

For seniors, a longer life means more time with family and friends, more time to contribute, more time to learn, and more time to keep surprising people, including ourselves. 

A global overview 

Based on 2024 data, the top five and bottom five countries/territories by life expectancy at birth are: