Healthy Ageing | Shifting the focus from the lifespan to the healthspan

The world’s population is ageing rapidly.¹ Over the past five decades, life expectancy in Australia has increased by 13.7 years for males (to 81.3 years) and 11.2 years for females (to 85.4 years).² By 2066 it is projected that older people will make up between 21-23% of the Australian population.³

Whilst we are living longer, the gap between the lifespan (the total life lived) and the healthspan (the period free from disease) is also expanding, as years lived in ill health are increasing.⁴ In 2024, Australians lost 5.8 million years of healthy life, with the majority of this due to living with illness or injury.⁵ Prevalence of most health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and depression typically increases with age,^1,6 with almost all (99.2%) people aged 65 years and over having at least one long-term health condition.⁷ Consequently, this increases use of medications, with older people frequently using five or more drugs long-term.¹