Mortality FAQs
Contents
How many people die in a year?
In 2006, there were 133,739 deaths recorded in Australia, consisting of 68,556 male deaths (731.5 deaths per 100,000 population*) and 65,183 female deaths (493.8 deaths per 100,000 population*).
* Age standardised to the Australian population at 30 June 2001.
How long do people live?
- For males born in the years 2004-2006, their life expectancy is estimated to be 78.7 years.
- For females born in the years 2004-2006, their life expectancy is estimated to be 83.5 years.
Life expectancy is not uniform across populations within Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a much lower life expectancy than the general Australian population. Indigenous Australians born in the period 1996-2001 are expected to live about 17 years less than the rest of the population (ABS 2007. Deaths Australia, 2006. ABS Cat. No. 3302.0. Canberra: ABS).
A person's life expectancy also depends on the age they have already reached. For the general Australian population (the national average):
- Males aged 30 in 2004-06 could expect to live to 79.9 years.
- Males aged 65 in 2004-06 could expect to live to 83.3 years.
- Females aged 30 in 2004-06 could expect to live to 84.3 years.
- Females aged 65 in 2004-06 could expect to live to 86.5 years.
For more information on this topic, see the life expectancy page.
Are causes of death dependant on age and sex?
Of the 133,739 deaths recorded in Australia in 2006, about 75 % of all male deaths and 85% of female deaths were of those aged 65 or older;
- About 22% of male deaths and 14% of female deaths were in those aged 25-64;
- About 3% of male deaths and 1.5% of female deaths were in those aged less than 25 years;
Table 1: Numbers of deaths by age group and sex, 2006
| Males | Females | |||
| Age (years) | Number | % | Number | % |
| 0 | 727 | 1.1 | 535 | 0.8 |
| 1-14 | 281 | 0.4 | 217 | 0.3 |
| 15-24 | 965 | 1.4 | 408 | 0.6 |
| 25-44 | 3,441 | 5.0 | 1,693 | 2.6 |
| 45-64 | 11,766 | 17.2 | 7,110 | 10.9 |
| 65-84 | 35,309 | 51.5 | 27,018 | 41.4 |
| 85+ | 16,062 | 23.4 | 28,201 | 43.3 |
| Missing age | 5 | 1 | ||
| Total | 68,556 | 100.0 | 65,183 | 100.0 |
- Injuries and poisoning are the most common causes of death for males and females in age groups 1 to 14 and 15 to 24 and for males aged 25 to 44;
- Cancer is the most common cause of death for females aged 25 to 44, and for males and females aged 45 to 64 and 65 to 84;
- Cardiovascular disease, which includes ischaemic heart disease and stroke, is the prominent cause of death for persons aged older than 84 years.
Table 2: Leading causes of death by age and sex, 2006
| Males | Females | |||
| Age group | Cause of death | % deaths* | Cause of death | % deaths* |
| Infants (less than one year) | Conditions emerging from the perinatal period | 49.5 | Conditions emerging from the perinatal period | 54.8 |
| Congenital anomalies | 23.2 | Congenital anomalies | 21.3 | |
| Symptoms, signs & ill-defined conditions | 10.9 | Symptoms, signs & ill-defined conditions | 9.9 | |
| Injury and poisoning | 3.4 | Injury and poisoning | 2.1 | |
| 1-14 | Injury and poisoning | 45.6 | Injury and poisoning | 28.6 |
| Cancer (All neoplasms) | 14.2 | Cancer (All neoplasms) | 21.7 | |
| Nervous system disease | 10.0 | Congenital anomalies | 7.8 | |
| Ill defined | 7.1 | Ill defined | 6.0 | |
| 15-24 | Injury and poisoning | 76.5 | Injury and poisoning | 56.1 |
| Cancer (All neoplasms) | 5.7 | Cancer (All neoplasms) | 11.8 | |
| Ill defined | 4.9 | Cardiovascular disease | 7.6 | |
| Nervous system diseases | 3.9 | Nervous system diseases | 6.4 | |
| 25-44 | Injury and poisoning | 48.9 | Cancer (All neoplasms) | 35.5 |
| Cancer (All neoplasms) | 15.4 | Injury and poisoning | 27.5 | |
| Cardiovascular disease | 15.2 | Cardiovascular disease | 11.7 | |
| Ill defined | 4.3 | Ill defined | 5.1 | |
| 45-64 | Cancer (All neoplasms) | 41.9 | Cancer (All neoplasms) | 57.5 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 24.7 | Cardiovascular disease | 14.4 | |
| Injury and poisoning | 10.8 | Injury and poisoning | 6.2 | |
| Digestive disorders | 5.4 | Respiratory system diseases | 5.0 | |
| 65-84 | Cancer (All neoplasms) | 38.3 | Cancer (All neoplasms) | 33.7 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 31.9 | Cardiovascular disease | 33.0 | |
| Respiratory system diseases | 9.3 | Respiratory system diseases | 8.6 | |
| Endocrine | 4.1 | Endocrine | 4.7 | |
| 85+ | Cardiovascular disease | 42.4 | Cardiovascular disease | 49.4 |
| Cancer (All neoplasms) | 20.6 | Cancer (All neoplasms) | 12.3 | |
| Respiratory system diseases | 11.6 | Respiratory system diseases | 8.5 | |
| Mental disorders | 5.3 | Mental disorders | 8.0 | |
* Percent of deaths within each age and sex group.
Source: AIHW National Mortality Database.
How does our life expectancy compare to other countries?
Overall, Australians enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world. In 2005 the male life expectancy of 79 years can be compared with the highest recorded, in Iceland (79.2). The highest female life expectancies were recorded in Japan (85.5 years) and France (83.9), compared with Australia's 83.7. Australian life expectancy is a little higher than in countries such as Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, and higher again than in the United Kingdom and the United States.
For more information, see the international life expectancy page.
What proportion of our lives can we expect to live healthily?
As part of the measure of overall life expectancy, healthy life expectancy (HALE) is a measure of the expected number of years to be lived in what might be termed the equivalent of 'full health'. HALE calculations adjust the overall life expectancy by the years of ill health according to their severity.
Australia's healthy life expectancy is among the highest in the world. In 2003, Australian males could expect to live 70.6 years of healthy life and females 75.2 years. This means that Australian males can expect to live about 90% of their lives in good heath.
For more information on this, see the healthy life expectancy page.
Are we living longer?
Yes, over the past century, life expectancy has improved considerably. For instance, males born in the in the 1901-1910 had a life expectancy of 55.2 years. By 2004-06 this had increased to 78.7 years.
For more information, see the Australian trends in life expectancy page.