How long does a 70 year old live?
A woman of 70 in the US reaches 86.9 on average, and a man 84.9, by the 2024 US life table. That's 16.9 and 14.9 more years. Half of 70-year-old women live past 87, and half of men past 85.
Women aged 70
86.9the average age reached
- Reach 7592%
- Reach 8079%
- Reach 8561%
- Reach 9038%
- Reach 9516%
- Reach 1004%
- Years left
- 16.9
- The middle half reach
- 81 to 93
Men aged 70
84.9the average age reached
- Reach 7588%
- Reach 8072%
- Reach 8551%
- Reach 9028%
- Reach 959%
- Reach 1002%
- Years left
- 14.9
- The middle half reach
- 79 to 91
Out of 100 people aged 70, how many are still alive at each age
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | 92 | 88 |
| 80 | 79 | 72 |
| 85 | 61 | 51 |
| 90 | 38 | 28 |
| 95 | 16 | 9 |
| 100 | 4 | 2 |
Why it's higher than 79
The 79.0 years you hear about is the US average at birth in 2024. By 70, you've already passed the ages where some people born the same year died, so the average age you reach is higher: 86.9 for women and 84.9 for men.
What moves your own number
This is the average for everyone in the US aged 70, 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
