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The Government Says You Have This Long to Live

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Jason Metz

The average life expectancy at birth was 78.6 years in 2017 in the United States, according to the latest National Vital Statistics Report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s a slight decrease from the 2016 life expectancy of 78.7 years.

Find your age below to see the probability of dying within one year and the average number of years you have left, based on CDC data.

Age Chances of dying within one year Average number of years left to live
0–1 0.58% 78.6
1–2 0.04% 78.1
2–3 0.02% 77.1
3–4 0.02% 76.1
4–5 0.01% 75.1
5–6 0.01% 74.1
6–7 0.01% 73.1
7–8 0.01% 72.2
8–9 0.01% 71.2
9–10 0.01% 70.2
10–11 0.01% 69.2
11–12 0.01% 68.2
12–13 0.01% 67.2
13–14 0.02% 66.2
14–15 0.03% 65.2
15–16 0.03% 64.2
16–17 0.04% 63.3
17–18 0.05% 62.3
18–19 0.06% 61.3
19–20 0.07% 60.3
20–21 0.08% 59.4
21–22 0.09% 58.4
22–23 0.10% 57.5
23–24 0.10% 56.5
24–25 0.11% 55.6
25–26 0.11% 54.7
26–27 0.12% 53.7
27–28 0.12% 52.8
28–29 0.13% 51.8
29–30 0.13% 50.9
30–31 0.14% 50
31–32 0.14% 49
32–33 0.15% 48.1
33–34 0.15% 47.2
34–35 0.16% 46.3
35–36 0.16% 45.3
36–37 0.17% 44.4
37–38 0.17% 43.5
38–39 0.18% 42.5
39–40 0.19% 41.6
40–41 0.19% 40.7
41–42 0.20% 39.8
42–43 0.22% 38.9
43–44 0.23% 37.9
44–45 0.25% 37
45–46 0.26% 36.1
46–47 0.28% 35.2
47–48 0.31% 34.3
48–49 0.34% 33.4
49–50 0.37% 32.5
50–51 0.40% 31.6
51–52 0.44% 30.8
52–53 0.48% 29.9
53–54 0.53% 29
54–55 0.58% 28.2
55–56 0.63% 27.4
56–57 0.68% 26.5
57–58 0.73% 25.7
58–59 0.79% 24.9
59–60 0.85% 24.1
60–61 0.91% 23.3
61–62 0.98% 22.5
62–63 1.05% 21.7
63–64 1.12% 20.9
64–65 1.19% 20.2
65–66 1.27% 19.4
66–67 1.36% 18.6
67–68 1.46% 17.9
68–69 1.58% 17.2
69–70 1.71% 16.4
70–71 1.84% 15.7
71–72 2.03% 15
72–73 2.21% 14.3
73–74 2.42% 13.6
74–75 2.63% 12.9
75–76 2.90% 12.3
76–77 3.20% 11.6
77–78 3.54% 11
78–79 3.93% 10.4
79–80 4.34% 9.8
80–81 4.82% 9.2
81–82 5.32% 8.6
82–83 5.92% 8.1
83–84 6.66% 7.6
84–85 7.40% 7.1
85–86 8.20% 6.6
86–87 9.09% 6.1
87–88 10.19% 5.7
88–89 11.41% 5.3
89–90 12.73% 4.9
90–91 14.17% 4.5
91–92 15.73% 4.2
92–93 17.40% 3.9
93–94 19.18% 3.6
94–95 21.06% 3.3
95–96 23.04% 3.1
96–97 25.11% 2.9
97–98 27.24% 2.7
98–99 29.43% 2.5
99–100 31.65% 2.3
100 and over 100.00% 2.2
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Buying life insurance

As you grow older, you may be thinking about buying life insurance in order to provide your loved ones with a financial safety net, whether it’s to pay off a mortgage, pay daily expenses, fund a funeral or any other financial need.

The earlier you buy life insurance, the better. That’s because life insurance quotes go up every year you get older. EverQuote research shows that a 60-year-old male would pay $2,218 more per year than a 25-year-old male for a $1 million, 10-year term life insurance policy. A 60-year-old female would pay $1,410 more per year than a 25-year-old female for a $1 million, 10-year term life insurance policy.

Life insurance for seniors is generally available, but it’s typically more expensive and may have limited choice of coverage amounts. Some insurance companies will not sell life insurance after you reach a certain age. For example, you may not be able to purchase a 10-year term life insurance policy when you reach age 75.

If someone relies on you financially, it’s smart to buy life insurance as soon as possible, before age and health push up your quotes. For many, that could be getting married, buying a house or having a child.

For more information on the CDC’s methodology, read the National Vital Statistics Report.