Life Expectancy in Australia

The average life expectancy in Australia is over 80, but men and women vary slightly.

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Key takeaways

  • Australia has the fourth highest life expectancy in the world, according to figures published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and OECD.
  • Life expectancy at birth was 81.1 years for men and 85.1 years for women in 2021-23.
  • Life expectancy for men has increased by 1.0 years and women by 0.8 years over the last 10 years.

Life expectancy in Australia

The graph below shows life expectancy in Australia based on the year you were born. As you can see from the table, the average life expectancy has gone up almost every year since records began.

What is the life expectancy in Australia?

In 2023 the average life expectancy at birth in Australia was 83.1 years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The average life expectancy for a male at birth was 81.1 years and 85.1 years for females.

How life expectancy has changed over time

Life expectancy in Australia has improved dramatically for both men and women in the last century. The stats speak for themselves:

  • Australians born between 2021 and 2023 can expect to live around 5 years longer compared to 1993.
  • Life expectancy has increased by 1.0 years for males and by 0.8 years for females over the last 10 years.
  • The life expectancy gap between males and females has narrowed from 5.9 years around 30 years ago to 4.0 years in 2021-23.

Life expectancy by country

Australia has the 4th highest life expectancy in the world, according to OECD statistics. Only Japan, Switzerland and Spain have higher life expectancies. Australia's male life expectancy came 3rd in the world and female life expectancy 5th. These figures have risen from 5th and 8th place respectively in the last year.

PersonsPersonsMalesMalesFemalesFemales
CountryYearsRankYearsRankYearsRank
Japan84.1181.1487.11
Switzerland83.7281.8185.54
Spain83.2380.51185.92
Australia83.2381.2385.35
Sweden83.1581.4284.88
Luxembourg83680.8885.26
Israel82.8780.7984.88
Italy82.8780.7984.88
Ireland82.6980.9684.212
Norway82.6981584.212

Life expectancy by state

The Australian Capital Territory has the highest life expectancy for males (81.7 years) and tied with Western Australia for female life expectancy (85.7 years). The Northern Territory had the lowest: 76.4 for males and 80.4 for females.

Males2011-20132011-20132020-20222020-20222021-20232021-2023
State or territoryMalesFemalesMalesFemalesMalesFemales
NSW8084.381.385.381.285.2
Vic.80.784.781.685.581.585.4
Qld79.684.180.78580.584.7
SA8084.38185.180.985
WA80.384.881.785.881.685.7
Tas.78.882.680.384.380.284
NT74.979.276.280.776.480.4
ACT81.78582.28681.785.7
Australia(a)80.184.381.285.381.185.1

a. Includes Other Territories.

Indigenous Australian life expectancy

For those of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, life expectancy is much lower. Indigenous males can expect to live 9 years less than other Australians, while indigenous females have an expected lifespan shorter by 8 years.

Life expectancy at birth fo Indigenous Australians was an estimated 71.6 years for males and 75.6 for females in 2015-17. This is a gap of 8.6 years and 7.8 years compared to non-Indigenous Australians.

Life expectancy has still increased overall for Indigenous Australians. Compared to 2005-2007, lifespans at birth in 2015-2017 increased by 4.4 years for males and 2.7 years for females.

Why compare life insurance with Finder?

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Does life expectancy affect life insurance?

Yes. Life expectancy provides a forecast for a person's lifespan, and in essence allows insurance companies to weigh up the risk of death, and compensation being paid to beneficiaries.

As you reach certain stages in life, the risk of you dying changes and impacts the estimated years you have left to live. For instance, a 30 year old male born between 2018-20 is forecast to have a lifespan of 81.2 years. For someone born between 1960-62, that number is significantly lower at 67.9.

As a result, policies will be much more the older you get as your risk of death increases and the likelihood of a fund having to fork out compensation sooner grows.

When should I purchase life insurance?

The earlier you get life insurance, the cheaper it is likely to be. If you lock-in level premiums, they won't go up over time.

However, it's probably only worth getting life insurance if you have any financial responsibilities: for example, if you own a house, have a family who depend on you in any financial capacity or you have any debt or loans.

If any of these apply to you, you can compare life insurance policies side-by-side here.

Frequently asked questions

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Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

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