How long does a 71 year old live?
A woman of 71 in the US reaches 87.2 on average, and a man 85.2, by the 2024 US life table. That's 16.2 and 14.2 more years. Half of 71-year-old women live past 88, and half of men past 85.
Women aged 71
87.2the average age reached
- Reach 7593%
- Reach 8080%
- Reach 8562%
- Reach 9038%
- Reach 9516%
- Reach 1004%
- Years left
- 16.2
- The middle half reach
- 82 to 93
Men aged 71
85.2the average age reached
- Reach 7590%
- Reach 8073%
- Reach 8552%
- Reach 9028%
- Reach 9510%
- Reach 1002%
- Years left
- 14.2
- The middle half reach
- 80 to 91
Out of 100 people aged 71, how many are still alive at each age
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | 93 | 90 |
| 80 | 80 | 73 |
| 85 | 62 | 52 |
| 90 | 38 | 28 |
| 95 | 16 | 10 |
| 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 71, you've already passed the ages where some people born the same year died, so the average age you reach is higher: 87.2 for women and 85.2 for men.
What moves your own number
This is the average for everyone in the US aged 71, 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
