The Australian population is ageing, with older Australians a growing proportion of the total population. In 2016, 15% (3.7 million) Australians were aged 65 and over; this proportion is projected to grow steadily over the coming decades.
Partly, growth in the proportion of older Australians is due to increasing life expectancy: in 2011–13, a 65-year-old man could expect to live another 19 years and a 65-year-old woman another 22 years—7 years longer for both sexes than in the mid 1960s. On average, Australian men aged 65 in 2011–13 could expect to live to around 84, and women to 87. Overall, Australians now enjoy one of the highest life expectancies in the world. These increases in life expectancy have generally not come at the expense of reduced functioning or worsened general health (see Health and functioning).
This section presents an overview of the changing demographic characteristics of older Australians.