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Life Expectancy Calculator

See average remaining life expectancy for your age and sex in the United States, from the Social Security Administration’s latest period life table.

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ItemValue
These are population averages for the US from the SSA 2023 period life table. They do not know your health, habits, income or family history, so your own outlook can be longer or shorter. This is a statistics tool, not medical advice.

Quick Answer

Life expectancy is the average number of years people of a given age and sex have left. In the SSA's 2023 period life table, a 40-year-old American man can expect about 38.6 more years (to about 79), and a 40-year-old woman about 42.6 more years (to about 83). At 65, the averages are 18.12 years for men and 20.66 years for women.

Last updated: 10 November 2026 ·How we calculate this: the SSA 2023 period life table

How This Life Expectancy Calculator Works

Enter your age and choose male or female. The calculator looks up your age in the period life table published by the Social Security Administration's Office of the Chief Actuary and shows the average number of years remaining, the age that implies, and the figures for the other sex and for age 65.

Quick explanation: life expectancy rises as you get older.

  • At birth it includes the risk of dying young.
  • Each year you live removes that risk, so your expected age goes up.
  • Women live longer than men on average at almost every age in the table.

How to Use the Life Expectancy Calculator

  1. Enter your age in whole years.
  2. Choose male or female.
  3. Press Calculate.
  4. Read the average years remaining and the expected age.
  5. Compare with the other sex and with age 65.

What the Life Table Shows

  • Death probability q(x): the chance a person of exact age x dies within one year.
  • Number of lives l(x): survivors at age x out of 100,000 born.
  • Life expectancy e(x): the average years remaining for a person of exact age x.
  • Expected age: current age + e(x).

A period table uses the death rates of one year (2023 here) for every age, so it does not predict future improvements in health.

Key Terms

  • Life expectancy: the average number of years remaining for people of a given age.
  • Period life table: a table built from one year's death rates at every age.
  • Death probability: the chance of dying within the next year at a given age.
  • Actuary: a professional who measures risk using statistics, such as SSA's actuaries.
  • Longevity risk: the risk of outliving your savings.

Worked Example

A woman is 65 and planning her retirement savings.

  • Life expectancy at 65 (female) = 20.66 years
  • Expected age = 65 + 20.66 ≈ 85.7
  • Her husband, also 65, has 18.12 years on average, to about 83.1
  • Because these are averages, many planners plan for longer, such as to 90 or 95.

Real-Life Examples

  • Newborn: a baby boy's life expectancy is 75.79 years and a baby girl's 81.06.
  • Age 30: 47.50 more years for men and 52.08 for women.
  • Age 75: 11.42 more years for men (to about 86) and 13.10 for women (to about 88).
  • Age 90: 4.11 years for men and 4.80 for women.

Period vs Cohort Life Expectancy

  • Period life expectancy uses the death rates of a single year. This calculator uses the 2023 period table.
  • Cohort life expectancy follows people born in the same year and includes expected future improvements, so it is usually higher.
  • For planning, remember that health tends to improve over time, so the period figure may be a little low.

US Life Expectancy by Age

AgeMaleFemale
075.7981.06
1066.3971.59
2056.6961.74
3047.5052.08
4038.5942.64
5029.9033.45
6021.7924.73
6518.1220.66
7014.6616.76
7511.4213.10
808.509.82
856.047.02
904.114.80
952.773.23
1002.042.23

What Changes Your Own Life Expectancy

The table describes the whole US population. Your own chances depend on many things the table cannot see: smoking, physical activity, weight, blood pressure, chronic conditions, income and education, and family history. Two people of the same age and sex can have very different outlooks. Use these numbers as a starting point for planning, and talk to a doctor about your own health.

Using Life Expectancy for Planning

Life expectancy matters for when to claim Social Security, how much to save for retirement, whether to take a pension as a lump sum or an annuity, and how fast to draw down savings. Because about half of people outlive the average, financial planners often plan to an age well beyond it so that savings do not run out.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Treating the average as a forecast. About half of people live longer than average.
  • Using life expectancy at birth for an adult. Use the figure for your current age.
  • Planning retirement to the average age only. Plan for a longer life to be safe.
  • Ignoring health and habits. They can move your own outlook a lot.
  • Comparing countries with this table. It covers the US only.

Frequently Asked Questions

In the SSA 2023 period life table it is 75.79 years for males and 81.06 years for females at birth.

No one can say. This calculator gives the average for your age and sex, not a personal forecast.

You have already survived the earlier years, so the average age you reach rises.

Women have lower death rates at almost every age, for a mix of biological and behavioral reasons.

The Social Security Administration's Office of the Chief Actuary, Period Life Table 2023, used in the 2026 Trustees Report.

18.12 more years for men and 20.66 for women.

No. It uses population averages only.

It uses the same SSA period life table, but some SSA tools use cohort figures.

Yes, as a starting point, but plan for a longer life to reduce the risk of running out of money.

References & Sources

SourceUsed ForLink
Social Security Administration, Actuarial Life Table (Period Life Table, 2023) Death probability, number of lives and life expectancy by age and sex. https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html