How long does a 72 year old live?
A woman of 72 in the US reaches 87.4 on average, and a man 85.5, by the 2024 US life table. That's 15.4 and 13.5 more years. Half of 72-year-old women live past 88, and half of men past 86.
Women aged 72
87.4the average age reached
- Reach 7594%
- Reach 8082%
- Reach 8563%
- Reach 9039%
- Reach 9516%
- Reach 1004%
- Years left
- 15.4
- The middle half reach
- 82 to 93
Men aged 72
85.5the average age reached
- Reach 7592%
- Reach 8075%
- Reach 8553%
- Reach 9029%
- Reach 9510%
- Reach 1002%
- Years left
- 13.5
- The middle half reach
- 80 to 91
Out of 100 people aged 72, how many are still alive at each age
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | 94 | 92 |
| 80 | 82 | 75 |
| 85 | 63 | 53 |
| 90 | 39 | 29 |
| 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 72, you've already passed the ages where some people born the same year died, so the average age you reach is higher: 87.4 for women and 85.5 for men.
What moves your own number
This is the average for everyone in the US aged 72, 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
