Live longer in Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and the Sunshine Coast

The long life good news for Australians is now headed by men in Melbourne and Canberra, and women on the Sunshine Coast and in Perth, with the men in those cities averaging 80 years and the women over 84 years.

Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is expected to provide women with one of the longest life expectancies in the world, with an average of 84.7 years. For women in Perth, it will be 84.6 years.

The average 80 years for men in Melbourne and Canberra is ahead of Perth, 79.8 years, Sydney, 79.7 years, Brisbane, 79.3 years, and Adelaide, 78.7 years.

The new research from the Federal Department of Health and Ageing predicts that there will be a vast ‘centenarian army’ within decades, with a total Australian contingent of 78,000 by 2055.

The jump in numbers is put down to a combination of healthier lifestyles and improved medical technology, with only the citizens of Japan having a longer life expectancy.

For Australian women the top city is Perth, where the average life expectancy is 84.4 years, followed by Melbourne, 84.1 years, with Sydney and Canberra coming equal third at 83.9 years.

Adelaide is slightly behind for men and women with women’s expectancy at 83.6 years and men at 78.7 years.