How long does a 51 year old live?
A woman of 51 in the US reaches 83.8 on average, and a man 80.4, by the 2024 US life table. That's 32.8 and 29.4 more years. Half of 51-year-old women live past 86, and half of men past 82.
Women aged 51
83.8the average age reached
- Reach 7087%
- Reach 7580%
- Reach 8069%
- Reach 8553%
- Reach 9033%
- Reach 9514%
- Reach 1003%
- Years left
- 32.8
- The middle half reach
- 77 to 92
Men aged 51
80.4the average age reached
- Reach 7080%
- Reach 7570%
- Reach 8057%
- Reach 8540%
- Reach 9022%
- Reach 958%
- Reach 1001%
- Years left
- 29.4
- The middle half reach
- 73 to 89
Out of 100 people aged 51, how many are still alive at each age
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 96 | 94 |
| 65 | 92 | 88 |
| 70 | 87 | 80 |
| 75 | 80 | 70 |
| 80 | 69 | 57 |
| 85 | 53 | 40 |
| 90 | 33 | 22 |
| 95 | 14 | 8 |
| 100 | 3 | 1 |
Why it's higher than 79
The 79.0 years you hear about is the US average at birth in 2024. By 51, you've already passed the ages where some people born the same year died, so the average age you reach is higher: 83.8 for women and 80.4 for men.
What moves your own number
This is the average for everyone in the US aged 51, smokers and marathon runners alike. In a study of 123,219 US health professionals, people with five healthy habits at 50 could expect 12 to 14 more years than people with none (Li 2018). See your own estimate from the same study, or take the floor test.
2 sources
- NCHS, United States Life Tables, 2024, National Vital Statistics Reports 75(5)cdc.gov
- Li Y and others, Circulation 2018pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
