How long does a 65 year old live?
A woman of 65 in the US reaches 85.8 on average, and a man 83.4, by the 2024 US life table. That's 20.8 and 18.4 more years. Half of 65-year-old women live past 87, and half of men past 84.
Women aged 65
85.8the average age reached
- Reach 7094%
- Reach 7586%
- Reach 8075%
- Reach 8557%
- Reach 9036%
- Reach 9515%
- Reach 1003%
- Years left
- 20.8
- The middle half reach
- 80 to 92
Men aged 65
83.4the average age reached
- Reach 7091%
- Reach 7580%
- Reach 8065%
- Reach 8546%
- Reach 9025%
- Reach 959%
- Reach 1001%
- Years left
- 18.4
- The middle half reach
- 77 to 90
Out of 100 people aged 65, how many are still alive at each age
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 94 | 91 |
| 75 | 86 | 80 |
| 80 | 75 | 65 |
| 85 | 57 | 46 |
| 90 | 36 | 25 |
| 95 | 15 | 9 |
| 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 65, you've already passed the ages where some people born the same year died, so the average age you reach is higher: 85.8 for women and 83.4 for men.
What moves your own number
This is the average for everyone in the US aged 65, 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
