1. HEALTH STATUS 1.2. Life expectancy at age 65

Life expectancy at age 65 has increased significantly fertility rates, are contributing to a steady rise in the among both women and men over the past several proportion of older persons in OECD countries (see decades in all OECD countries. Some of the factors Annex Tables A.2 and A.3). explaining the gains in life expectancy at age 65 include Life expectancy at age 65 is expected to continue to advances in medical care combined with greater access increase in coming decades. Based on the United to health care, healthier lifestyles and improved living Nations/World Bank Population Database, life expec- conditions before and after people reach age 65. tancy at age 65 is projected to reach 21.6 years for In 2007, life expectancy at age 65 in OECD countries women and 18.1 years in 2040 for men on average in stood, on average, at over 20 years for women and close OECD countries (OECD, 2007d). to 17 years for men (Figure 1.2.1). This represents a gain Whether longer life expectancy is accompanied by of almost five years for women and four years for men good health and functional status among ageing pop- on average across OECD countries since 1970. Hence, ulations has important implications for health and the gender gap in life expectancy at age 65 increased long-term care systems. Recent OECD work has found slightly in many countries between 1970 and 2007. that although there is a declining trend in severe dis- Similarly, life expectancy at age 80 also increased ability among elderly populations in some countries slightly more rapidly among women than among men (e.g. in the United States, Italy and the Netherlands), on average in OECD countries over the past 37 years this is not universally true (Figure 1.2.3). In some other (Figure 1.2.2). In 2007, life expectancy for women at countries (e.g. in Australia and Canada), the rate of age 80 stood at 9.2 years (up from 6.5 years in 1970) on severe disability is stable, and in yet other countries average in OECD countries, while the corresponding (e.g. in Sweden and Japan) severe limitations in activi- figure for men was 7.6 years (up from 5.6 years in 1970). ties of daily living appear to be on the rise over the Japan registered particularly strong gains in life expec- past five to ten years. Combined with population tancy at age 65 in recent decades, with an increase ageing, these trends suggest that there will be increas- of over eight years for women and six for men ing need for long-term care in all OECD countries in between 1970 and 2007. As a result of these large gains, coming decades (Lafortune et al., 2007). Japanese women and men enjoyed the longest life expectancy at age 65 across all OECD countries in 2007, with respectively 23.6 and 18.6 remaining years of life. These gains in Japan can be explained in part by a Definition and deviations marked reduction in death rates from heart disease and cerebro-vascular disease (stroke) among elderly people. Life expectancy measures how long on average Many other OECD countries have also registered signifi- people at a particular age would live based on cant reductions in mortality from cardio-vascular and current age-specific death rates. However, the cerebro-vascular diseases among elderly populations actual age-specific death rates of any particular over the past decades (OECD, 2003a; Moon et al., 2003). birth cohort cannot be known in advance. If age- Some countries exhibit different standings when specific death rates are falling – as has been the comparing their life expectancies at birth and at case over the past decades in OECD countries – age 65. Females in Belgium, the United States and actual life spans will be higher than life expec- New Zealand improve their position relative to other tancy calculated with current death rates. countries, as do males in the United States, France Countries may calculate life expectancy using and Mexico. However, males in the Netherlands, methodologies that can vary somewhat. These Sweden and Luxembourg, rate lower at 65 years of differences in methodology can affect the compa- age, compared with at birth. rability of reported life expectancy estimates by a Gains in longevity at older ages in recent decades in fraction of a year. OECD countries, combined with the trend reduction in

18 HEALTH AT A GLANCE 2009: OECD INDICATORS © OECD 2009 1. HEALTH STATUS

1.2. Life expectancy at age 65

1.2.1 Life expectancy at age 65 by gender, 1970 and 2007 (or nearest year available) Females Males 2007 1970 1970 2007

23.6 Japan 18.6 22.3 France 18.0 22.2 Switzerland 18.6 22.0 Spain 17.8 21.8 Italy 17.9 21.6 Australia 18.5 21.4 Canada 18.2 21.3 Finland 17.0 21.0 Belgium 17.3 20.8 Norway 17.5 20.8 Austria 17.4 20.7 Germany 17.4 20.7 New Zealand 18.1 20.7 Sweden 17.8 20.6 Iceland 18.3 20.5 Korea 16.3 20.5 Netherlands 17.0 20.3 United States 17.4 20.3 Luxembourg 16.4 20.2 OECD 16.9 20.2 Portugal 16.8 20.1 United Kingdom 17.4 20.1 Ireland 17.1 19.6 Greece 17.4 19.2 Denmark 16.5 18.9 Poland 14.6 18.5 Czech Republic 15.1 18.2 Mexico 16.8 17.3 Hungary 13.4 17.1 Slovak Republic 13.4 15.8 Turkey 13.9 25 20 15 10 5 5 10 15 20 25 Years Years

1.2.2 Trends in life expectancy at age 65 1.2.3 Trends in severe disability and at age 80, males and females, among the population aged 65 and over, OECD average, 1970-2007 selected OECD countries, 1980-2005

Females aged 65 Males aged 65 Canada Sweden1 Females aged 80 Males aged 80 United States Years Age-standardised rates 21 25

18 20

15 15 12

10 9

5 6

3 0 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1. For Sweden, the data relate only to the population aged 65-84. Source: OECD Health Data 2009. Source: Lafortune et al. (2007).

1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/717451135213

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OECD (2009), “Life expectancy at age 65”, in Health at a Glance 2009: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/health_glance-2009-4-en

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