Life Expectancy
Update Frequency:
no release since 2007 Indicator Rationale
Life expectancy is closely connected with health conditions and sustainable development. This indicator reflects many social, economic and environmental influences (United Nations, 2003). Life expectancy is measured on the basis of how many years on average a new-born baby is expected to live, given current age specific mortality risks. Life expectancy at birth is an indicator of mortality conditions, and by proxy, of health conditions. Quality of life, quality health care and income inequality in developed nations as measured by mortality rates highlight discrepancies between the life expectancy of population groups such as Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians.
The World Health Organisation defines health as physical, social, and mental wellbeing, not only as illness. Health is linked to the demands placed on health services and productivity in the workplace. With increased life expectancy, we have fully functioning community members for longer periods of time. The ageing population combined with increased life expectancy has implications for the workforce, the argument for delayed retirement age in particular.
Data Source
Victorian Department of Human Services
Measure
Life Expectancy at Birth: in years, for males and females separately.
The Chiang Method (1984) was used to calculate life tables by sex. Life tables combine mortality rates of a population at different ages into a single model, and project life expectancy assuming that current death rates will continue into the future.
At the LGA level, five years of mortality and estimated resident population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics by age (0, 1-4, then five-year intervals to 85+) and sex are used in the life tables. LGAs with a population of less than 30,000 are aggregated with adjacent LGAs. Deaths of persons with unidentified place of usual residence or missing age are excluded.
Estimates for Victoria, Metropolitan Melbourne, Country Victoria and the eight regions are based on one year of data, which is the most recent year of the five years on which the LGA estimates are based.
References
Chiang, C.L. (1984). The life table and its applications. Malabar (FL): Robert E Krieger Publ Co.