How long does a 68 year old live?
A woman of 68 in the US reaches 86.5 on average, and a man 84.2, by the 2024 US life table. That's 18.5 and 16.2 more years. Half of 68-year-old women live past 87, and half of men past 85.
Women aged 68
86.5the average age reached
- Reach 7097%
- Reach 7589%
- Reach 8077%
- Reach 8559%
- Reach 9037%
- Reach 9515%
- Reach 1003%
- Years left
- 18.5
- The middle half reach
- 81 to 93
Men aged 68
84.2the average age reached
- Reach 7096%
- Reach 7584%
- Reach 8069%
- Reach 8549%
- Reach 9026%
- Reach 959%
- Reach 1002%
- Years left
- 16.2
- The middle half reach
- 78 to 90
Out of 100 people aged 68, how many are still alive at each age
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | 97 | 96 |
| 75 | 89 | 84 |
| 80 | 77 | 69 |
| 85 | 59 | 49 |
| 90 | 37 | 26 |
| 95 | 15 | 9 |
| 100 | 3 | 2 |
Why it's higher than 79
The 79.0 years you hear about is the US average at birth in 2024. By 68, you've already passed the ages where some people born the same year died, so the average age you reach is higher: 86.5 for women and 84.2 for men.
What moves your own number
This is the average for everyone in the US aged 68, 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
