All OECD countries have experienced considerable gains in life expectancy at age 65 in recent decades. On average across OECD countries, people at age 65 in 2023 could expect to live a further 20 years (Figure 10.2). Life expectancy at age 65 increased by 6 years between 1970 and 2023, and by 2.8 years between 2000 and 2023, with all countries experiencing positive growth. Six countries (Korea, Ireland, Estonia, Slovenia, Portugal and Israel) enjoyed gains of at least 3.5 years between 2000 and 2023; five countries (the United States, Germany, Costa Rica, Hungary and Mexico) experienced an increase of less than 2 years over this time period.
Life expectancy at age 65 has continued to rise over the past decade, but the pace of improvement has slowed. Most countries saw gains of less than one year between 2013 and 2023. This overall deceleration partly reflects the lingering impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic, which temporarily disrupted upward trends in many countries, but it also reflects slowing advances in cutting heart disease and stroke (see section on “Life expectancy at birth” in Chapter 3). Greece, Hungary, Germany, Austria and Finland recorded less than 0.3 years of growth, and Türkiye experienced negative growth. In contrast, 11 countries including Korea, Chile, Israel, Ireland and Lithuania experienced gains of over one year between 2013 and 2023. Japan, Spain, France and Switzerland continue to rank among the countries with the highest life expectancy at age 65 – with rates approaching or exceeding 22 years in 2023.
Life expectancy at age 65 is around 3.4 years higher for women than for men. This gender gap has not changed substantially since 2000, when life expectancy at age 65 was 3.5 years higher for women than men. Among OECD countries, life expectancy at age 65 in 2023 was highest for women in Japan (28.9 years) and for men in Israel (25.5 years). It was lowest for women in Mexico (20.2 years) and for men in Latvia (15.7 years).
While most OECD countries experienced gains in life expectancy at age 65 between 2013 and 2023, not all additional years are lived in good health. The number of healthy life‑years at age 60 varies substantially across OECD countries (Figure 10.3). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health-adjusted life expectancy as “the average number of years that a person can expect to live in ‘full health’ by taking into account years lived in less than full health due to disease and/or injury” (WHO, 2023[1]). On average across OECD countries, the number of healthy life‑years expected at age 60 was 18.3 for women and 16.2 for men in 2021 – a noticeably smaller difference between men and women than that for general life expectancy at age 65. Japan, Korea and Spain report over 20 years of good health for women and Israel, Iceland and Japan over 18.7 for men. In contrast, healthy life expectancy is under 15.6 years for women in Mexico, Hungary, the Slovak Republic and Türkiye, and under 12.5 years for men in Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania and the Slovak Republic, indicating fewer years in good health. OECD accession/partner countries report the lowest levels. Women in South Africa, India and Indonesia live under 13 healthy years, while men fall below 12 in South Africa, Bulgaria, Indonesia, India and Romania.
Ensuring that gains in life expectancy translate into healthier years requires policy action. Recent OECD work shows that investing in prevention, health system adaptation, home care, and community-based care can improve health and longevity while also contributing to savings and economic growth (OECD, 2025[2]).
