Life expectancy in Australia

Jack Dikian

June 2011

22,637,535

Is the resident population of Australia is projected as of June 29, 2011

Life expectancy at birth is one of the most widely used and internationally recognised indicators of population health Australian Bureau of Statistics. High life expectancy at birth indicates low levels of infant mortality, a safe environment in which to live, a good health care system, sufficient food, and the adoption of preventative health measures.

This is a brief look at the significant increase in life expectancy in Australia over the past 125 years, some of the reasons for the increase. The life expectancy for Australians has increased by over 30 years since the late 1800s. During 1881-1890, the average life expectancy of a newborn boy was around 47 years and that of a newborn girl almost 50 years. By 2007-2009, average life expectancy had risen to approximately 80 years for newborn boys and 84 years for newborn girls.

10 percent of all deaths each year until the early 1930s was associated with infectious and parasitic diseases. Improvements in living conditions in the early 20th century led to overall lower death rates and longer life expectancy at all ages. At the same time, degenerative diseases such as heart disease, stroke and cancer replaced infectious and parasitic diseases as the main cause of death of older people in the 20^th century.

The past 20 years have seen further increases in life expectancy. These increases have been partly due to lower infant mortality, fewer young people dying in motor vehicle accidents, and fewer older men dying from heart disease. The reduction in deaths from heart disease has been linked to medical advances and behavioural changes such as improvements in diet and less smoking.