Most of us know that life expectancy around the world can vary dramatically. We know that in many developing countries, the average life span is far shorter than in the Western world.
But have you ever wondered which of those Western countries has the highest life expectancy, and where Australia ranks?
The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), out this month, provide us with some good news.
It reveals that the life expectancy of a child born in Australia today is 84.3 years. This puts us in third place on the world rankings, behind only Japan (85.9 years) and Monaco (84.8 years). This is a jump from sixth place only a year ago.
Continuing a long-term trend, the life expectancy for Australian females remains longer than for males. A girl born in Australia today can expect to live to age 85.4 and a boy 81.3.
Read: Fibre improves life expectancy: studies
ABS demography director Emily Walter said life expectancy in Australia was now 11.9 years longer for males and 10.6 years longer for females than the 2020 UN world average.
Why are Australians living longer?
Many factors play into life expectancy, but the clear evidence for Australia’s rise is our country’s handling of COVID. Australia is one of only a few nations where longevity has risen since the onset of the pandemic.
The majority of countries, including the UK and the USA, have experienced a sharp drop in life expectancy since the start of the outbreak. In the US, the life expectancy for a male dropped from a pre-pandemic age of 76.3 years (2019) to 74.2, a dramatic decrease. COVID, the third-leading cause of death in the country in 2020, was a big factor.
According to Dr Tim Adair, a demographer at the University of Melbourne, the reason Australia has bucked the downward trend is clear – the closing of our borders and strict lockdown policies.
Read: What can we expect from this latest COVID wave?
While these measures created their own issues and drew the ire of many, their effect is quite clear. Australia’s COVID death toll has been low on a relative basis, only about one-fifth of the UK and the US per capita.
Australia’s isolation strategy also reduced deaths from influenza and other viruses that travellers normally bring in from overseas, says Dr Adair.
He believes there’s also another reason Australia has done so well. A national health system – which he says “ranks quite highly across a number of areas compared with many other countries”.
Read: The problems in assessing life expectancy
A 2021 American study of 11 countries also found Australia was ranked number one in healthcare outcomes.
Can Australia hold on to its high ranking?
But Dr Adair issued a caution. Australia’s life expectancy may slip when the next figures, based on 2022, come out – a direct result of the country reopening its borders in February.
“Preliminary analyses that some colleagues and I have done suggest longevity will drop by about 0.5 years,” he said.
With most health experts now flagging the onset of a new COVID wave here, Australians would still be well advised to take as many precautionary measures as practicable.
Those precautions will likely keep you alive and healthy, and Australia near the top of the world’s longevity rankings.
Have you taken any conscious measures to improve your life expectancy? What are some of the steps you’ve taken? Why not share your experience and thoughts in the comments section below?
