How long will I live?
This is a question that many people ask themselves.
Our life expectancy calculator provides you with an answer in just three clicks, based on data from the German Association of Actuaries (DAV) e.V.
Life Expectancy Calculator
Your average life expectancy is Years
male
female
Age: 20
This result is based on the information you provided about your gender and current age, as well as on statistically determined averages.
80%
of people with your characteristics will turn
50%
of people with your characteristics will turn
20%
of people with your characteristics will turn
FAQ
1. What is life expectancy?
People live for different lengths of time. Some die earlier, while others live longer than expected. Life expectancy is the statistically determined number of years that a group of people, on average, are expected to live. It often refers to the number of years of life expected from birth, i.e., with a reference age of 0.
2. What does remaining life expectancy mean?
In the case of what is known as remaining life expectancy, however, a different reference age is used. This refers to the expected number of remaining years of life starting from any given reference age, for example, age 65.
3. Why doesn’t remaining life expectancy decrease by one year every year?
When calculating life expectancy, the probabilities of death for all subsequent years of age are taken into account. Life expectancy at birth, therefore, incorporates the probabilities of death for all ages starting from the time of birth. In contrast, when calculating the remaining life expectancy of 65-year-olds, only the probabilities of death for future years of life from the age of 65 and older are taken into account. For people who have not yet reached that age, there is still a risk of dying before then. Consequently, remaining life expectancy does not decrease by one year every year, as it is continually recalculated on the basis of future mortality rates, which change with each age reached.
4. Where does the data for the life expectancy calculator come from?
The DAV Life Expectancy Calculator is based on the “German Association of Actuaries 2004 Pension Mortality Table” (DAV2004R). This is a calculation model developed by the DAV that is used in Germany primarily as the basis for private pension insurance. The results are based on calculations and trend assumptions from the year 2023.
To this end, data from the pension insurance portfolios of German life insurers, German population statistics, and the statutory pension insurance system were analysed and compared with international trends. The mortality table is regularly reviewed and validated by the DAV.
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5. How exactly are my year of birth and gender factored into the calculation?
The year of birth is crucial because modern generational mortality tables project future medical and social progress for each individual birth cohort. Younger people benefit the longest from future medical advances, which can lead to further increases in life expectancy.
This trend is evident, among other things, in the growing number of people who have surpassed the age of 100 and are regularly honored by the Federal President. In addition, international data collections are increasingly documenting people who reach the age of 110 and older.
Gender is factored into the calculation because women have a higher life expectancy than men. Data on gender identities other than male and female are not currently available and therefore cannot be statistically analysed.
6. What is a cohort mortality table?
Generational or cohort life tables take into account the mortality rates of a given birth cohort over the course of their entire lives. They also factor future changes and trends—such as medical advances or improved living conditions—into the calculation of life expectancy. This enables predictions about future life expectancy.
7. What is a trend, and which trend parameter was used in the calculation?
A trend in life expectancy describes the long-term changes in mortality rates across different age groups. It examines whether life expectancy is increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable. Life expectancy is influenced by many factors, which can be broadly divided into factors that promote longevity and those that shorten it.
The method used to calculate these values follows the principle applied by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) for its cohort life tables (see Methodological Notes; Destatis 2021). The year 2023 was designated as the reference year for all values.
Life expectancy is influenced by the following factors, among others:
- Health care: primary care, improved diagnostics, treatments and prevention
- Environment and climate: air and water quality, climate change
- Socioeconomic conditions: education, income
- Lifestyle: diet, physical activity, obesity, smoking habits
- Global health risks: pandemics, antibiotic resistance
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8. Why are the life expectancy estimates of the DAV higher than those published by the Federal Statistical Office?
Mortality data for insured individuals differ from the figures calculated by the Federal Statistical Office for the general population because they are based on different populations.
These and other specific factors are taken into account in the DAV’s mortality tables.
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