Australian women live long and prosper by the sea, while men thrive in colder climes, according to life expectancy data released yesterday.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average 84.7 year life span of women living on the Sunshine Coast is the longest in the country, just ahead of women in the Upper Great Southern of WA (also a coastal region) and Perth.
Men, by contrast, appear to last longer if refrigerated, with the average 80 year lifespan of those residing in chilly Melbourne and really chilly Canberra the longest in the country.
Overall, the average woman who lives past 65 can expect to live to 86, three years more than the average man who reaches that age.
Australia’s general average life span of 81.4 years is second in the world, after Japan. Australian women are the fifth longest lived in the world, behind Japan, France, Switzerland and Italy, while our men have the second longest lifespans behind – you guessed it – Iceland.
Australian women |
Average life span in years |
1. Sunshine Coast |
84.7 |
2. Upper Great Southern (WA) |
84.6 |
3. Perth |
84.4 |
4. Midlands (WA) |
84.3 |
5. Outer Adelaide |
84.2 |
6. Melbourne |
84.1 |
6. South East (SA) |
84.1 |
7. South West (WA) |
84.0 |
8. Canberra and entire ACT |
83.9 |
8. Sydney |
83.9 |
8. Gold Coast |
83.9 |
9. Western Australia (total) |
83.8 |
10. Victoria (total) |
83.7 |
Australian men |
Average life span in years |
1. Melbourne |
80 |
1. Canberra and entire ACT |
80 |
2. Perth |
79.8 |
3. Sydney |
79.7 |
4. Lower Great Southern (WA) |
79.6 |
5. Sunshine Coast |
79.4 |
5 South West (WA) |
79.4 |
6 Victoria (total) |
79.3 |
6.Brisbane |
79.3 |
6. Gold Coast |
79.3 |
7. Western Australia (total) |
79.1 |
8. Outer Adelaide |
79.0 |
9. Barwon |
78.9 |
10. Darling Downs |
78.8 |
