What was the average life expectancy 2 yerars, 50 years, 100years and
1000 years ago? Today what is the average life expectancy for a
35,45and 55 year old male and female?

qpet...

Thanks for your question. Here is a breakdown of life expectancies:

1000 years ago-A child born in 1000 AD, on average, had a life
expectancy of 24 years.

100 years ago-A male child born in 1903 had a life expectancy of 49
years, while a female had a life expectancy of 51 years.

For the following, the definition of life expectancy is the period
life expectancy at a given age for a given year represents the average
number of years of life remaining if a group of persons at that age
were to experience the mortality rates for that year over the course
of their remaining life.


50 years ago-A male child born in 1953 has a life expectancy of 66
years, a female 72 years.

2 years ago-A male child born in 2001 can be expected to live 78
years, a female child 79 years.

For the second part of your question, we are assuming that the people
will turn the age specified in 2003.

Someone turning 35 this year was born in 1968.  A female born in 1968
has a life expectancy of 74 years while a male born that same year has
a life expectancy of 67

Someone turning 45 this year was born in 1958.  Women born in 1958
have a life expectancy of 73, men have a life expectancy of 67

Someone turning 55 this year was born in 1948.  Females born in 1948
have a life expectancy of 70 years.  Men, 65 years.

Thank you again for your very interesting question.  If you need any
additional clarification, please let me know.

Regards,

-THV

Search Strategy:
life expectancy 1000 AD
life expectancy 1903
life expectancies

References:
Period Life Expectancies 1, Calendar Years 1940-2001 Historical Period
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/TR02/lr5A3-h.html

An economist traces how quite unlikely nations achieve amazing success
http://report.ca/archive/report/20020318/p56i020318f.html

Life expectancy in the USA
http://www.demog.berkeley.edu/~andrew/1918/figure2.html

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Clarification of Answer by tar_heel_v-ga on 08 Jan 2003 10:08 PST

In reading jonmm-ga's comments, I realized you may be looking for the
life expectancy based upon the current ages, not the life expectancy
at the time of birth:

35 years old today-Life expectancy for a man is 74.5, woman is 80.35
45 years old today-Life expectancy for a man is 75.6, woman is 80.9
55 years old today-Life expectancy for a man is 77.2, woman is 82
Sources
: IRS Publication 590, Supplement to Publication 590
http://www.unclefed.com/IRS-Forms/2001/p590supp.pdf
(NOTE: Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Annuity Life Expectancy Tables
http://www.sdsd.hr.state.or.us/resources/workergd/e.1__ann.htm

Thank you for the comments posted-indeed it was what I was looking for.

I have to respectfully disagree with part of the answer above. By
definition, the life expectancy of a 45 year old today is NOT the life
expectancy at birth 45 years ago. By living to 45, you have already
gotten past things that might cause someone to die in the first 45
years, so your total life expectancy is actually higher than it was at
birth. There are separate life expectancy tables for people who are
already at a specific age.

johmm..

I interpreted the question as the life expectancy of someone who is 45
years old today.  Based upon data, a person who was born in 1958 has a
life expectancy 67 and 73, male and female respectively.  I do,
however, understand your point and that may well have been the intent
of the question in that a person that is 45 today, how much longer can
they expect to live.  I appreciate your comment and will post a
clarification with the numbers in the scenario you mentioned.

-THV

The life expectancy of a 45 year old male in January 2005 would be
between the above 1958 answer of 67 years old and the above quoted
"today's" figure of 75.6.  The reason is that the 45 year old lived
through some of the "bad years" (1960 to present), implying the 67
year expectancy, and is now experiencing the "good years" (today
forward) implying the 75.6 figure.  An actuarial could tell you the
month you will drop dead.  That is how insurance works.  Your life
expectancy may go way up if science has its way and you have money. 
There is no inheirent reason why we could not live indefinitely,
barring an accident.  Remember, there are pine trees several thousand
years old, and some turtles live several hundred years.  The question
really may be - how long do you really want to live?  However, odds
are, that if you are 45 now, there is an excellent chance you won't be
with us in 2036.