If you live here you have the longest life expectancy in Australia

Overall life expectancy in Australia has  improved from 82.1 years to 82.4 years , according to a new Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report.

If you live in Northern Sydney can expect to live to live longer than people anywhere else in Australia – 85.5 years on average – 84.2 years for males and 86.9 for females.  

Eastern Melbourne locals were a close second with a 84.3-year life expectancy.

Australia has the eighth highest life expectancy at birth in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

However if you live in the Northern Territory you’re not so lucky, you have the lowest life expectancy in the nation at 77.7 years.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report.

And you’re worse off if you live in regional Australia

One of the main findings from this report is that in general metropolitan areas have higher life expectancies than regional areas.  

That’s partly becuase people in regional and remote areas are more likely to engage in behaviours associated with poor health, such as daily smoking and higher alcohol intakes.

They’ve also have higher occupational and physical risks from farming or mining work and transport related accidents.

Overall life expectancy in Australia has also improved from 82.1 years to 82.4 years, with a decrease in potentially avoidable deaths.

The good news is you can do something about your life expectancy…

Potentially avoidable deaths that are preventable may be influenced by your individual health risk factors.

For example, tobacco use, high body mass, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and high blood pressure have all been shown to have strong links with the development of chronic diseases.

So get off your computer and go for a walk