What's the life expectancy for a 66 year old female?

According to the most recent data from the Social Security Administration, the life expectancy for a 66 year old American female is an additional 18.88 years, for a total life expectancy of 84.88 years.

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Life expectancy for a 66 year old female over time

Using data from the Social Security Administration's Trustees Reports, for which we have access back to 2004, we can see how life expectancy for a 66 year old female has changed over time. Please note that there is no data for 2008 and 2018.

Why is female life expectancy higher than male?

Female life expectancy tends to be higher than male life expectancy. According to Harvard Medical School, it's theorized that this is because women tend to take fewer risks, have fewer dangerous jobs, are less likely to die of heart disease, commit suicide less often than men, and are more likely to go to a doctor.

Probability of death

According to the Social Security Administration's same data, a 66 year old female's probability of dying within one year is 1.2069%.

The probability of death is significantly higher during the first year of life and then drops significantly when a child is one or two years of age. Female probability of death tends to be lower than male probability of death for the same age.

More about this life expectancy data

This information on this page is based on the 2020 period life table data for the Social Security area population, which comprises residents of the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands; federal civilian employees and persons in the United States Armed Forces abroad and their dependents; non-citizens living abroad who have Social Security benefits; and all other United States citizens living abroad.

While data from 2020 may seem old or out of date, it's the most recent year for which official data is available.

Sources

• Period Life Table, 2020 - Social Security Administration
• Why men often die earlier than women - Harvard Medical School

Disclaimer

The information on this page is intended to be an educational reference and is not to be taken as medical advice. If you think you're having a medical emergency, please call 911 immediately.