How long does a 66 year old live?
A woman of 66 in the US reaches 86.0 on average, and a man 83.6, by the 2024 US life table. That's 20.0 and 17.6 more years. Half of 66-year-old women live past 87, and half of men past 84.
Women aged 66
86.0the average age reached
- Reach 7095%
- Reach 7587%
- Reach 8075%
- Reach 8558%
- Reach 9036%
- Reach 9515%
- Reach 1003%
- Years left
- 20.0
- The middle half reach
- 80 to 92
Men aged 66
83.6the average age reached
- Reach 7093%
- Reach 7581%
- Reach 8066%
- Reach 8547%
- Reach 9026%
- Reach 959%
- Reach 1001%
- Years left
- 17.6
- The middle half reach
- 77 to 90
Out of 100 people aged 66, how many are still alive at each age
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 95 | 93 |
| 75 | 87 | 81 |
| 80 | 75 | 66 |
| 85 | 58 | 47 |
| 90 | 36 | 26 |
| 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 66, you've already passed the ages where some people born the same year died, so the average age you reach is higher: 86.0 for women and 83.6 for men.
What moves your own number
This is the average for everyone in the US aged 66, 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
