How Long Can You Expect to Live, How You May Die Projected by Census Bureau

December 16, 2006 – "Adults and teens will spend nearly five months (3,518 hours) next year watching television, surfing the Internet, reading daily newspapers and listening to personal music devices," so says the lead paragraph in the news release from the U.S. Census Bureau announcing the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007. But, let's dig down to the important information, like how long are we expected to live now days and how might we meet our end. That information is there, too.

December 12, 2006

Senior Citizens in a Lot of Pain but Living Longer, Says New Government Report

Life expectancy at birth reached record 77.9 years in 2004, up from 77.5 in 2003 - November 15, 2006

Chronic Diseases are Leading Causes of Death among Senior Citizens

Heart disease and cancer remain top killers of older Americans - August 7, 2006

Facts about Senior Citizens Packaged by Census Bureau

May is Older Americans Month and here are facts seniors may not know - April 26, 2006

Americans Living Longer, Men Gain on Women in 2004

CDC releases report shows death rate at record low for 2004 - April 20, 2006

Read more Statistics on Senior Citizens

“The Statistical Abstract is a collaborative effort that showcases our government statistics and the work of the international community, private industry and nonprofit agency researchers,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon, in releasing the mammoth report yesterday.

We dug down immediately to find the latest life extectancy table, which is based on 2003. We have the tables below, where you will find, for example, that a person who was 65 in 2003 can expect to live to age 83.4. If, however, you are a black female, that stretches to 83.5.

Note that the oldest living person in the world recently died at age 116, Lizzie Borden, a black female from Tennessee. (a link to this story is in sidebar)

More strikingly, however, when in comes to racial differences of longevity, a black female who was 80 in 2003 can expect to live to 89.8, slightly longer than a white female, who is expected to reach only 89.6. Bad news for the 80 year old men, the white guys will only reach 88, but their black contemporaries should make it to 87.9. That is a sizeable gap.

The report also includes a report on deaths and death rates by major causes in 2003, which is below the tables on life expectancy on this page. For seniors citizens 65 through 74, cancer was the leading killer, followed closely by heart disease. The other causes of death drop off pretty fast after the top two.

But, after reaching age 75, heart disease jumps into first place as the killer of the elderly and just become more dominant with age.

Another report released by the World Health Organization shows 27 countries have healthy life expectancies for males and females that exceed the United States. (This chart is the last one on this page.)

Another government report, released last month by the Centers for Disease Control, said life expectancy at birth reached a record 77.9 years in 2004, up from 77.5 in 2003 and from 75.4 in 1990. Since 1990, the gap in life expectancy between men and women has narrowed from seven to just over five (5.2) years.

At birth, life expectancy for females is just over 80 years and nearly 75 for males. The gap in life expectancy between white and black Americans also has narrowed from seven years in 1990 to five years in 2004. (a link to this report is in sidebar)

>> U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007

Expectation of Life by Race, Sex, Age - 2003
Check your age in 2003 at left and read across for how many more years you can expect to live.						Check your age in 2003 at left and read across to see what age you are expected to reach. Note: these ages were calculated by SeniorJournal.com from stats at left.
		White		Black				White		Black
	Total	Male	Female	Male	Female		Total	Male	Female	Male	Female
At	77.5	75.3	80.5	69	76.1	At	77.5	75.3	80.5	69	76.1
birth	77.5	75.3	80.5	69	76.1	birth	77.5	75.3	80.5	69	76.1
1	77	74.8	79.9	69.1	76	1	78	75.8	80.9	70.1	77
2	76.1	73.8	78.9	68.2	75.1	2	78.1	75.8	80.9	70.2	77.1
3	75.1	72.9	78	67.2	74.1	3	78.1	75.9	81	70.2	77.1
4	74.1	71.9	77	66.2	73.1	4	78.1	75.9	81	70.2	77.1
5	73.1	70.9	76	65.3	72.2	5	78.1	75.9	81	70.3	77.2
6	72.1	69.9	75	64.3	71.2	6	78.1	75.9	81	70.3	77.2
7	71.1	68.9	74	63.3	70.2	7	78.1	75.9	81	70.3	77.2
8	70.2	67.9	73	62.3	69.2	8	78.2	75.9	81	70.3	77.2
9	69.2	66.9	72	61.3	68.2	9	78.2	75.9	81	70.3	77.2
10	68.2	66	71	60.3	67.2	10	78.2	76	81	70.3	77.2
11	67.2	65	70	59.3	66.2	11	78.2	76	81	70.3	77.2
12	66.2	64	69.1	58.4	65.2	12	78.2	76	81.1	70.4	77.2
13	65.2	63	68.1	57.4	64.3	13	78.2	76	81.1	70.4	77.3
14	64.2	62	67.1	56.4	63.3	14	78.2	76	81.1	70.4	77.3
15	63.2	61	66.1	55.4	62.3	15	78.2	76	81.1	70.4	77.3
16	62.3	60	65.1	54.4	61.3	16	78.3	76	81.1	70.4	77.3
17	61.3	59.1	64.1	53.5	60.3	17	78.3	76.1	81.1	70.5	77.3
18	60.3	58.1	63.2	52.5	59.3	18	78.3	76.1	81.2	70.5	77.3
19	59.4	57.2	62.2	51.6	58.4	19	78.4	76.2	81.2	70.6	77.4
20	58.4	56.3	61.2	50.7	57.4	20	78.4	76.3	81.2	70.7	77.4
21	57.5	55.4	60.2	49.8	56.4	21	78.5	76.4	81.2	70.8	77.4
22	56.5	54.4	59.3	48.9	55.5	22	78.5	76.4	81.3	70.9	77.5
23	55.6	53.5	58.3	48	54.5	23	78.6	76.5	81.3	71	77.5
24	54.7	52.6	57.3	47.2	53.6	24	78.7	76.6	81.3	71.2	77.6
25	53.7	51.6	56.3	46.3	52.6	25	78.7	76.6	81.3	71.3	77.6
26	52.8	50.7	55.4	45.4	51.6	26	78.8	76.7	81.4	71.4	77.6
27	51.8	49.7	54.4	44.5	50.7	27	78.8	76.7	81.4	71.5	77.7
28	50.9	48.8	53.4	43.6	49.7	28	78.9	76.8	81.4	71.6	77.7
29	49.9	47.9	52.5	42.7	48.8	29	78.9	76.9	81.5	71.7	77.8
30	48.9	46.9	51.5	41.8	47.8	30	78.9	76.9	81.5	71.8	77.8
31	48	46	50.5	40.9	46.9	31	79	77	81.5	71.9	77.9
32	47	45	49.5	40	45.9	32	79	77	81.5	72	77.9
33	46.1	44.1	48.6	39.1	45	33	79.1	77.1	81.6	72.1	78
34	45.2	43.2	47.6	38.2	44.1	34	79.2	77.2	81.6	72.2	78.1
35	44.2	42.2	46.6	37.3	43.1	35	79.2	77.2	81.6	72.3	78.1
36	43.3	41.3	45.7	36.5	42.2	36	79.3	77.3	81.7	72.5	78.2
37	42.3	40.4	44.7	35.6	41.3	37	79.3	77.4	81.7	72.6	78.3
38	41.4	39.4	43.8	34.7	40.4	38	79.4	77.4	81.8	72.7	78.4
39	40.5	38.5	42.8	33.8	39.5	39	79.5	77.5	81.8	72.8	78.5
40	39.5	37.6	41.9	32.9	38.6	40	79.5	77.6	81.9	72.9	78.6
41	38.6	36.7	40.9	32.1	37.7	41	79.6	77.7	81.9	73.1	78.7
42	37.7	35.8	40	31.2	36.8	42	79.7	77.8	82	73.2	78.8
43	36.8	34.9	39	30.4	35.9	43	79.8	77.9	82	73.4	78.9
44	35.9	34	38.1	29.6	35	44	79.9	78	82.1	73.6	79
45	35	33.1	37.2	28.7	34.1	45	80	78.1	82.2	73.7	79.1
46	34.1	32.2	36.3	27.9	33.3	46	80.1	78.2	82.3	73.9	79.3
47	33.2	31.3	35.3	27.1	32.4	47	80.2	78.3	82.3	74.1	79.4
48	32.3	30.5	34.4	26.3	31.6	48	80.3	78.5	82.4	74.3	79.6
49	31.4	29.6	33.5	25.6	30.8	49	80.4	78.6	82.5	74.6	79.8
50	30.6	28.8	32.6	24.8	29.9	50	80.6	78.8	82.6	74.8	79.9
51	29.7	27.9	31.7	24.1	29.1	51	80.7	78.9	82.7	75.1	80.1
52	28.8	27.1	30.8	23.3	28.3	52	80.8	79.1	82.8	75.3	80.3
53	28	26.2	29.9	22.6	27.5	53	81	79.2	82.9	75.6	80.5
54	27.1	25.4	29	21.9	26.7	54	81.1	79.4	83	75.9	80.7
55	26.3	24.6	28.1	21.2	25.9	55	81.3	79.6	83.1	76.2	80.9
56	25.5	23.7	27.2	20.5	25.1	56	81.5	79.7	83.2	76.5	81.1
57	24.7	22.9	26.4	19.8	24.3	57	81.7	79.9	83.4	76.8	81.3
58	23.8	22.1	25.5	19.2	23.6	58	81.8	80.1	83.5	77.2	81.6
59	23	21.3	24.7	18.5	22.8	59	82	80.3	83.7	77.5	81.8
60	22.2	20.6	23.8	17.9	22.1	60	82.2	80.6	83.8	77.9	82.1
61	21.5	19.8	23	17.3	21.4	61	82.5	80.8	84	78.3	82.4
62	20.7	19	22.2	16.6	20.6	62	82.7	81	84.2	78.6	82.6
63	19.9	18.3	21.4	16.1	19.9	63	82.9	81.3	84.4	79.1	82.9
64	19.2	17.6	20.6	15.5	19.2	64	83.2	81.6	84.6	79.5	83.2
65	18.4	16.9	19.8	14.9	18.5	65	83.4	81.9	84.8	79.9	83.5

70	14.9	13.5	16	12.1	15.3	70	84.9	83.5	86	82.1	85.3

75	11.8	10.5	12.6	9.8	12.4	75	86.8	85.5	87.6	84.8	87.4

80	9	8	9.6	7.9	9.8	80	89	88	89.6	87.9	89.8
Total includes other races not shown separately. Source: U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics of the United States, annual; and National Vital Statistics Report (NVSR), Vol. 54, No. 14. Vital Statistics 77 U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007

Click small image below for larger view of chart on causes of death.

Life Expectancy

A broad measure used to compare health in countries is Healthy Life Expectancy. This is the basic indicator of population health used by the World Health Organization and published each year in The World Health Report.

This indicator measures the equivalent number of years in full health that a newborn child can expect to live based on current death rates and current rates of illness and disability. Improvement in healthy life expectancy is also the first goal of Healthy People 2010 for the United States.

Today, 27 countries have healthy life expectancies for males and females that exceed the United States .

The highest, Japan, substantially exceeds the United States where a newborn baby girl can expect to have seven additional years and a newborn baby boy can expect to have five additional years in which to enjoy a healthy, active life.

Healthy Life Expectancy at Birth, 2002

Country	Female	Male
Japan	78	72
San Marino	76	71
Spain	75	70
Switzerland	75	71
Monaco	75	71
Sweden	75	72
France	75	69
Italy	75	71
Andorra	75	70
Australia	74	71
Canada	74	70
Germany	74	70
Luxembourg	74	69
Iceland	74	72
Norway	74	70
Austria	74	69
Finland	74	69
Belgium	73	69
Greece	73	69
Malta	73	70
Netherlands	73	70
Israel	72	70
Slovenia	72	67
New Zealand	72	69
United Kingdom	72	69
Portugal	72	67
Ireland	72	68
Singapore	71	69
United States	71	67
Denmark	71	69
Czech Republic	71	66
Republic of Korea	71	65
Cuba	70	67
Cyprus	68	67
Kuwait	67	67

While the United States does have some of the most advance technical medical care available, the use of electronic medical records by physicians is estimated at 17 percent. Of nineteen studies, the top three countries averaged 80 percent use of electronic medical records by physicians.

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