People with disability in Australia 2026

Introduction

People in Australia are living longer. How healthy people are in older age matters for overall population health and for the health and care systems.

This page looks at how long people are living in Australia and how this has changed in recent years. It also looks at how many of those years people can expect to live with and without disability.

It is important to understand that disability does not equate to poor health or illness, although a person may have disability and have poor health. Years lived with disability are not less important than years lived without disability. For example, someone may have poor health when a condition first develops, but once it is stable, they may be in good health, especially with the right supports and opportunities to take part in daily life. Disability can also be a positive part of identity, community and belonging.

This part of the report aims to improve understanding of how disability, health, ageing and support needs are experienced across the population. It is intended to inform policy, service design and resource allocation. It should not be read as judging the value of lives lived with disability.

This section should be read with other parts of the report that show the wide range of disability experiences. These include how disability can occur alongside long-term health conditions, pain, changes in ability or movement, ageing, and the need for care and support. Understanding this helps governments plan policies and services that support people’s wellbeing, independence, participation, and ability to live as healthily as possible throughout their lives.

At birth

Boys born in 2022 can expect to live an average of around 81 years. Of this time, an estimated:

• 62 years will be lived free of disability
• 20 years will be with disability, including around 7.6 years with severe or profound disability (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.1).

Girls born in 2022 can expect to live an average of around 85 years. Of this time, an estimated:

• 64 years will be lived free of disability
• 22 years will be with disability, including around 9.1 years with severe or profound disability (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.1).

For people born in 2022, this equates to living around one-quarter of their life with disability (24% for males and 25% for females) (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.1).

At age 65

Focusing on health expectancy at age 65 is a useful measure for monitoring healthy ageing within the population.

Men aged 65 in 2022 can expect to live, on average, another:

• 8.9 years without disability (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.3)
• 11 years with disability, including around 4.6 years with severe or profound disability (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.4).

Women aged 65 in 2022 can expect to live, on average, another:

• 10 years without disability (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.3)
• 13 years with disability, including around 6.4 years with severe or profound disability (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.4).

For people aged 65 in 2022 this equates to living just over half of their remaining lives with some level of disability (56% for both men and women).

Throughout life and over time

As individuals age, the number of years they can expect to live without disability reduces. Over time, however, the number of estimated years living without disability at any age has increased for men and women (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.3).

Men aged:

• 25–29 in 2003 can expect to live an additional 37 years without disability, increasing to 40 years for men of that age in 2022
• 50–54 in 2003 can expect to live an additional 17 years without disability, increasing to 19 years for men of that age in 2022
• 75–79 in 2003 can expect to live an additional 3.3 years without disability, increasing to 4.2 years for men of that age in 2022.

Women aged:

• 25–29 in 2003 can expect to live an additional 40 years without disability, increasing to 42 years for women of that age in 2022
• 50–54 in 2003 can expect to live an additional 18 years without disability, increasing to 20 years for women of that age in 2022
• 75–79 in 2003 can expect to live an additional 4.0 years without disability, increasing to 4.8 years for women of that age in 2022.

Sex gap in life expectancy

Females generally have a longer life expectancy. They can expect to live longer with and without disability compared to males.

The sex gap in total life expectancy has narrowed between 2003 and 2022, indicating greater gains in life expectancy for males than for females over this period:

• for example, females who were 0–4 years in 2003 can expect to live 5 years longer than males, while females aged 0–4 in 2022 can expect to live 4 years longer than males. This indicates that the sex gap in life expectancy has decreased by 1 year for this age group (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.4).

The sex gap in the expected years without disability has also narrowed during this time:

• for example, females who were 0–4 years in 2003 can expect to live without disability for 3 more years than males. Females aged 0–4 in 2022 can expect to live without disability for 2 more years than males. This indicates that the sex gap in expected years without disability has decreased by 1 year for this age group (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.4).

However, the sex gap in expected years without severe or profound disability has somewhat increased:

• for example, females who were 0–4 years in 2003 can expect to live without severe or profound disability 2.2 more years than males. Females aged 0–4 in 2022 can expect to live without severe or profound disability 2.5 more years than males. This indicates that the sex gap in expected years without severe or profound disability has increased by 0.3 years for this age group (Figure LIFE EXPECTANCY.4).

This last finding is likely the result of changes in prevalence of severe or profound disability, depending on sex and age group.