life expectancy
A chart in a textbook shows life expectancy increasing over the past century.
Noun: * The average period that a person is expected to live: "Life expectancy" is a statistical measure of the average number of years a person is expected to live, based on the year of their birth, their current age, and other demographic factors like sex. It is calculated using mortality data for a specific population.
"Life expectancy" is a singular, countable noun. It is most commonly used with verbs like have, increase, decrease, raise, and lower. It is often modified by adjectives like high, low, average, or overall. It can be followed by the preposition at when specifying an age (e.g., "life expectancy at birth").
- General Statement:
- With a Modifier:
- With Preposition 'at': Life expectancy at birth is a key indicator of a nation's overall health.
- Comparison:
- "Healthy life expectancy (HLE)": This refers to the average number of years a person can expect to live in full health, without disease or disability.
- Policymakers are focusing not just on longevity but on increasing healthy life expectancy.
- "Life expectancy gap": This phrase describes the difference in average life expectancy between two populations (e.g., between genders, regions, or income levels).
- The report highlighted a growing life expectancy gap between urban and rural areas.
- Life span (n): The maximum potential age or duration of life of an organism or species. While related, "life span" refers to a biological potential, whereas "life expectancy" is a statistical average based on current conditions.
- The human life span has theoretical limits, but life expectancy continues to rise with better living standards.
- Longevity (n): The fact of living a long life. This is a more general term and can refer to the actual length of an individual's life or the characteristic of long life in a population.
- Good genetics and a healthy lifestyle contribute to longevity.
- Average lifespan: (A more informal phrase with similar meaning).
- Expectation of life: (A formal, less common variant).
The term "life expectancy" is specifically a demographic and actuarial statistic. It does not predict the exact lifespan of any single individual but provides an average for a defined group. It is a crucial metric in public health, economics, and social policy.
A chart in a textbook shows life expectancy increasing over the past century.
- an expected time to live as calculated on the basis of statistical probabilities