3302.0 - Deaths, Australia, 2011 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/11/2012   
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MEDIA RELEASE
8 November 2012
Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)
173/2012

LIFE EXPECTANCY IN AUSTRALIA CONTINUES TO CLIMB HIGHER AND HIGHER

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today released the highest life expectancy estimates ever recorded in Australia.

Director of ABS Demography, Bjorn Jarvis, said that today's Deaths, Australia, 2011 publication showed that life expectancy figures continued to increase over the ten year period ending 2011.

"Under current estimates, a boy born today could expect to live 79.7 years while a girl could expect to live 84.2. A male currently aged 65 could expect to live a further 19 years and female a further 22 years," Mr Jarvis said.

"Comparatively Australia is doing really well, our male and female combined life expectancy figure of 81.4 years is higher than the rate in the UK, Canada, New Zealand and the USA according to United Nations estimates.

"Of the states and territories, life expectancy is highest in the Australian Capital Territory with 81 for males and 84.8 for females and lowest in the Northern Territory with 74.9 for males and 80.5 for females," he said.

The standardised death rate is the lowest ever recorded, falling to 5.6 deaths per 1,000 people in 2011 from 6.6 in 2001.

"We have seen death rates fall by around 1 person per 1,000 over the last ten years with falls recorded for both males and females," Mr Jarvis said.

There were 146,900 deaths registered in Australia in 2011, a record high number.

Further details are in Deaths, Australia, 2011 (cat. no. 3302.0). State, territory and sub-state information is also available for download from the ABS website (www.abs.gov.au)

Media notes:

  • Standardised death rates enable the comparison of death rates between populations with different age structures by relating them to a standard population (currently, all persons in the Australian population at 30 June 2001).
  • Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) as the source.

Deaths, Summary statistics

2001
2010(a)
2011(b)
Change 2001–2011 (%)
Change 2010–2011 (%)

Australia(c)
Deaths (no.)
128 544
143 473
146 932
14.3
2.4
Infant mortality rate(d)
5.3
4.1
3.8
Standardised death rate(e)
6.6
5.7
5.6
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
77.0
79.5
79.7
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
82.4
84.0
84.2
Median age at death (years)
78.5
81.2
81.5
New South Wales
Deaths (no.)
44 552
47 945
50 661
13.7
5.7
Infant mortality rate(d)
5.3
4.1
3.8
Standardised death rate(e)
6.6
5.6
5.7
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
76.9
79.6
79.8
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
82.4
84.1
84.2
Median age at death (years)
78.5
81.4
81.8
Victoria
Deaths (no.)
32 295
35 623
36 552
13.2
2.6
Infant mortality rate(d)
4.8
3.3
3.5
Standardised death rate(e)
6.5
5.5
5.5
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
77.5
80.0
80.3
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
82.7
84.3
84.4
Median age at death (years)
79.0
82.0
82.2
Queensland
Deaths (no.)
22 856
27 289
27 414
19.9
0.5
Infant mortality rate(d)
5.9
5.4
4.6
Standardised death rate(e)
6.7
5.8
5.7
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
76.9
79.4
79.5
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
82.3
83.9
84.1
Median age at death (years)
77.8
80.1
80.4
South Australia
Deaths (no.)
11 891
12 957
12 665
6.5
-2.3
Infant mortality rate(d)
4.6
3.8
2.6
Standardised death rate(e)
6.8
5.9
5.6
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
77.0
79.4
79.7
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
82.5
83.8
84.0
Median age at death (years)
79.6
82.3
82.6
Western Australia
Deaths (no.)
10 779
12 720
12 724
18.0
0.0
Infant mortality rate(d)
5.1
3.6
3.0
Standardised death rate(e)
6.3
5.5
5.3
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
77.3
79.7
80.1
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
82.8
84.3
84.6
Median age at death (years)
77.9
80.2
80.3
Tasmania
Deaths (no.)
3 876
4 269
4 245
9.5
-0.6
Infant mortality rate(d)
6.2
4.1
4.5
Standardised death rate(e)
7.6
6.7
6.5
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
76.0
78.0
78.3
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
81.2
82.3
82.5
Median age at death (years)
78.7
80.7
80.9
Northern Territory
Deaths (no.)
872
981
964
10.6
-1.7
Infant mortality rate(d)
10.7
7.2
7.6
Standardised death rate(e)
9.4
7.8
7.3
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
70.8
74.0
74.9
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
76.5
79.2
80.5
Median age at death (years)
58.2
61.4
61.9
Australian Capital Territory
Deaths (no.)
1 419
1 679
1 700
19.8
1.3
Infant mortality rate(d)
3.0
3.7
2.9
Standardised death rate(e)
6.3
5.3
5.1
Life expectancy at birth - Males (years)
78.5
80.5
81.0
Life expectancy at birth - Females (years)
82.9
84.7
84.8
Median age at death (years)
77.2
81.1
81.4

(a) Death rates for 2010 have been calculated using revised 30 June 2010 estimated resident population based on results from the 2006 Census.
(b) Death rates for 2011 have been calculated using preliminary 30 June 2011 estimated resident population based on results from the 2006 Census.
(c) Includes Other Territories
(d) Infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
(e) Deaths per 1,000 standard population. Standardised death rates use total persons in the Australian population at 30 June 2001 as the standard population.