Australia’s life expectancy higher than five other wealthy countries, including UK and US

Looking to live longer and healthier? It turns out that Australia might hold the key, offering valuable lessons to other wealthy nations.

The secret to a longer, healthier, happier life is move to Australia.

In a study published in BMJ Open medical journal has found Aussies outlive their peers in wealthy English-speaking countries including the UK, America, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand.

The research also found life expectancy in Australia is two years longer than in the UK and nearly five years longer than in America, which lags behind all the other English-speaking nations.

“One of the main drivers of why American longevity is so much shorter than in other high-income countries is our younger people die at higher rates from largely preventable causes of death, like drug overdose, car accidents and homicide,” said the paper’s senior author Professor Jessica Ho.

“What the study shows is that a peer country like Australia far outperforms the US and was able to get its young adult mortality under control.

Lifestyle factors in Australia are making us live longer than other English-speaking countries.

“It has really low levels of gun deaths and homicides, lower levels of drug and alcohol use and better performance on chronic diseases, the latter of which points to lifestyle factors, health behaviours and health care performance.”

At younger ages, Australia also has lower mortality from peri-natal conditions and congenital anomalies, as well as lower motor vehicle accident mortality than similarly large (in terms of land area) countries with high driving rates, like the US and Canada.

The researchers said a number of factors may explain why life expectancy in Australia is higher than in other countries, including its history of immigration.

“Australia has the highest foreign-born share of its population, reaching nearly 30 per cent in 2018,” researchers wrote.

“Prior studies have found that immigrants, who tend to have higher life expectancy than the native-born, can make important contributions to national life expectancy.”

Senior couple walking on the beach in fall season

Australia also faced a less severe smoking epidemic compared to the US and the UK, which could help explain lower rates of mortality from respiratory diseases, cancers, and circulatory diseases.

However, while the country sets a good example for improving life expectancies, the findings highlight there is still a lot of work needed to reduce inequalities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Australia performs well, but still has room for improvement, particularly in the area of reducing inequalities among its indigenous populations and in its rates of obesity,” the researchers said.

“Overall, Australia offers a potential model for lower-performing Anglophone countries, such as the USA and UK, to follow to reduce both premature mortality and inequalities in life expectancy.”

Australian Medical Association’s state secretary for specialists in private practice Dr Vinay Rane said the findings are a testament to the country’s investment on healthcare.

“Longevity and quality of life comes down to two core components: healthcare and education,” Dr Rane said.

“Australia has a well-educated community, leading to healthier lifestyles like lower smoking rates. Significant public health initiatives focus on reducing chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity, stroke, and diabetes.

“We should be proud to live in a community that prioritises and invests heavily in healthcare and education. This study is just one more example of the fruits of our labour.”

Originally published as Australia’s life expectancy higher than five other wealthy countries, including UK and US