Age Calculator

UK Life Expectancy

UK life expectancy at age 65 (ONS): around 19 years for men, 21 for women.

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ONS life tables give two versions of life expectancy: period life expectancy, based on current mortality rates as if they stayed constant, and cohort life expectancy, which projects likely future improvements in mortality for people born in a given year. ONS publishes both; period life expectancy at 65 in the UK has stayed roughly flat, around 18-21 years, since 2010.

Life expectancy figures are a median, not a maximum or a guarantee. Roughly half of people at a given age will live longer than the figure shown, some considerably longer — which is why pension and retirement planning should generally assume a longer horizon than the headline number, not a shorter one.

How it works.

How to use these figures for retirement planning:

  1. Add the remaining-years figure to your current age for an approximate total age reached — at 65, roughly the mid-80s for men (65 + ~19) and the mid-to-late 80s for women (65 + ~21).
  2. Because life expectancy is a median, plan drawdown or annuity decisions against a longer period than the headline figure — many people live 10+ years beyond it.
  3. Cross-check against the years to State Pension age calculator and a full retirement-income plan — see the replacement ratio calculator on pensioncalculator.org.uk — rather than relying on life expectancy alone.
Worked examples
Age 65 today: men ~19 more years (to about 84), women ~21 more years (to about 86).
Age 50 today: men ~31 more years (to about 81), women ~34 more years (to about 84).
Related: Years to retirement Age calculator Age by birth year
Sources: ONS life expectancy · retrieved 2026-08-24.

Frequently asked questions

Period vs cohort life expectancy?
Period uses current mortality rates as if they stayed fixed; cohort projects likely future mortality improvements for people born in a given year, so cohort figures are usually higher. ONS publishes both — this page uses period figures.
Why does this matter for pensions?
Drawdown planning: if period life expectancy at 65 is 19 years, a pension may need to last 25-30 years to be safe, because life expectancy is a median, not a maximum — many people live well beyond it.
Does life expectancy tell me when I'll reach State Pension age?
No — they're unrelated. State Pension age is a fixed date set by law (currently 66, rising to 67 by 2028); life expectancy is a statistical estimate of how long you're likely to live from a given age. Use the years to State Pension age calculator for the former.
Should I plan for the average, or for longer?
For longer. Life expectancy at a given age is a median — roughly half the people who reach that age live beyond it. A retirement income plan that only budgets to the median figure risks running out of money for the half who live longer, which is why many advisers plan drawdown to a more conservative, longer horizon.
Where does this UK life expectancy data come from?
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes UK national life tables, covering period and cohort life expectancy by age and sex. This page uses the ONS period figures at ages 50 and 65; see ons.gov.uk for the full tables and the latest publication date.