A 50 year old Australian male is watching the news in 2014 and hears that the current life expectancy for males has risen to 80 years.Does this mean he can expect to live
For another 30 years?
A)Yes.If life‐expectancy at birth is 80 years and he has already lived for 50 years, he can expect to live for an additional 30 years (50 years + 30 years = 80 years)
B)No.If life‐expectancy at birth is 80 years and he has already lived for 50 years, he can expect to live longer than 80 years, because the probability of dying differs over the
Life‐course.
C)It is not possible to answer this question, because mortality rates in the population will change in the future.
D)None of the above.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

No.If life‐expectancy at birth is 80 years and he has already lived for 50
years, he can expect to live longer than 80 years, because the probability of dying differs
over the life‐course.This expectation can be calculated from the life table, and if he has
reached 50 an Australian man can expect to live another 32 years and reach 82.The
difference used to be much greater when there were many more deaths in early life.
(And remember, this expectation is calculated on current death rates, so the true
expectation is probably longer again, given continuing improvements in health care and
prevention.)

A 50 Year Old Australian Male Is Watching the News