Life Expectancy at Age 65
A higher life expectancy at age 65 is considered an indicator of better overall health of the older population.
Cumulative number of person-years lived by persons age 65 and older, divided by the number of persons age 65 and older in the initial cohort.
A period life table approach is used, applying the age- and sex-specific mortality rates for a given reference period to a hypothetical cohort. Life tables are usually constructed separately for men and women because of their different mortality rates.
Population age 65 in an initial cohort of 100,000 people
Cumulative number of person-years lived by persons age 65 and older, for a cohort of 100,000 persons.
Age- and sex-specific mortality rates corresponding to the reference period are applied to a hypothetical cohort, typically of 100,000.
Starting at age 65, the probability of dying at each age or age interval is applied to the number of people surviving to that age or to the beginning of the age interval, respectively.
Methodology
Name
Life Expectancy at Age 65
Short/Other Names
Not applicable
Description
Number of years a person would be expected to live, starting from age 65, if the age- and sex-specific mortality rates for a given reference period were held constant over his or her life span
Rationale
Used worldwide, and often in combination with life expectancy at birth, life expectancy at age 65 is understood as a measure of the general health of the older population. By definition, life expectancy is affected by age- and sex-specific mortality rates for the 65 and older population in a particular reference period. Life expectancy measures quantity rather than quality of life.
Interpretation
A higher life expectancy at age 65 is considered an indicator of better overall health of the older population.
HSP Framework Dimension
ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨ system outcomes: Improve health status of Canadians
Areas of Need
Not applicable
Targets/Benchmarks
Not applicable
Available Data Years
to (calendar years)
Geographic Coverage
- All provinces/territories
Reporting Level/Disaggregation
- International
- National
- Province/Territory
- Region
- Neighbourhood Income Quintile
Indicator Results
Update Frequency
Every year
Latest Results Update Date
Updates
Not applicable
Description
Cumulative number of person-years lived by persons age 65 and older, divided by the number of persons age 65 and older in the initial cohort.
A period life table approach is used, applying the age- and sex-specific mortality rates for a given reference period to a hypothetical cohort. Life tables are usually constructed separately for men and women because of their different mortality rates.
Type of Measurement
Average or mean
Denominator
Description:
Population age 65 in an initial cohort of 100,000 people
Numerator
Description:
Cumulative number of person-years lived by persons age 65 and older, for a cohort of 100,000 persons.
Age- and sex-specific mortality rates corresponding to the reference period are applied to a hypothetical cohort, typically of 100,000.
Starting at age 65, the probability of dying at each age or age interval is applied to the number of people surviving to that age or to the beginning of the age interval, respectively.
Exclusions:
Rates used by Statistics Canada to calculate life expectancy are calculated with data that excludes the following:
- Births to mothers who are not residents of Canada
- Births to mothers who are residents of Canada whose province or territory of residence was unknown
- Deaths of non-residents of Canada
- Deaths of residents of Canada whose province or territory of residence was unknown
- Deaths for which age or sex of the decedent was unknown
Method of Adjustment
Not applicable
Standard Population:
Not applicable
Adjustment Applied
None
Geographic Assignment
Place of residence
Data Sources
- Demography division, Statistics Canada
- OECD
- Vital Statistics - Death Database, Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada, Table 13-10-0389-01: Life expectancy, at birth and at age 65, by sex, three-year average, Canada, provinces, territories, health regions and peer groups; OECD ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨ Statistics, 2016.
Caveats and Limitations
This indicator does not provide information on the individual causes of death or on quality of life for the older population.
The data is based on 2018 health region boundaries. For complete Canada coverage, each northern territory represents a health region.
Trending Issues
Due to improvements in methodology and timeliness, the duration of data collection has been shortened compared with previous years. As a result, there may have been fewer deaths captured by the time of the release. The 2017 data is therefore considered preliminary.
Estimates based on 3 years of pooled data are available at the regional level from 2000 to 2002 forward, with the most current data being for 2015 to 2017.
References
Goodyear M, Malhotra N. . Accessed February 2020.
Statistics Canada. . 2019.
Statistics Canada. . Accessed February 2020.
How to cite:
Canadian Institute for ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨ Information. Life Expectancy at Age 65. Accessed December 21, 2024.
If you would like ºìÁì½í¹Ï±¨information in a different format, visit our Accessibility page.
Comments
Life expectancy at age 65 does not provide information about the quality of life of the older population. Other measures have been developed using a composite of morbidity and mortality data. For example, health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) at age 65 is the average number of remaining years that an individual is expected to live in a healthy state (PHAC, 2012).
Indicator results are based on three years of pooled data. The reference point reflects the mid-point of a three-year period.