A new snapshot of the nation’s health, released today by the Australian Institute Health and Welfare, shows Australians are living longer than in previous decades.

Australia’s long-term life expectancy growth is one of the great successes of modern medicine, public health and improved living conditions.

But living longer doesn’t necessarily mean living well. The report shows the average time spent in poor health also rose since 2003.

A previous report from the same institute found a man born in 2024 could expect to live 71.7 years in “full health”, despite a life expectancy of 81.6 years.

A woman born in 2024 could expect to live in full health for an average of 73.8 years, despite an average life expectancy of 85.5 years.

This means Australians can expect to live around 87% of their lives in full health.

But what does the last decade or so look like when their health deteriorates?

Let’s look more closely at what researchers mean by “healthy life expectancy”, and what is meant by “full health”.

Does ‘full health’ mean being perfectly healthy?

Plenty of Australians in their 40s or 50s have high blood pressure, wear glasses, take cholesterol medication or manage arthritis. Many would still describe themselves as healthy.

The World Health Organization defines “healthy life expectancy” as the average number of years a person can expect to live in “full health”, after accounting for years lived in less than full health due to disease or injury.

This doesn’t mean living without ever becoming sick, injured or needing medication. It’s a population measure that combines........

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