Meaning & use
life expectancy
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
The average number of years a person or animal is expected to live, based on statistics for a particular group or place.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a life expectancy', 'the life expectancy of women', or 'life expectancies are rising'.
Patterns
- life expectancy of someone
- life expectancy at birth
- a life expectancy of + number
Life expectancy in Japan is among the highest in the world.
The life expectancy of a person born today is about 80 years.
Average life expectancy has increased thanks to better medicine.
Word forms
| plural | life expectancies |
|---|
Common combinations
- average life expectancy
- The average life expectancy in the region is 75.
- increase life expectancy
- Clean water and vaccines have increased life expectancy.
- life expectancy at birth
- Life expectancy at birth is a common health indicator.
- a life expectancy of
- Dogs have a life expectancy of 10 to 13 years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- longevity
- Longevity means long life or the quality of living a long time; it is less statistical and more about the fact of living long.
- life span
- Life span is the maximum length of life possible for a species, not the average for a group.
Word family
- expectancy noun
- The state of expecting something; used in phrases like 'life expectancy'.
- expect verb
- To think that something will happen.
Commonly confused: life expectancy or life span?
life expectancy vs life span
Life span is how long an individual or species can possibly live; life expectancy is the average actual length of life for a group.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'life expectancy' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The first option correctly uses 'life expectancy' as a countable noun with 'of' to show the average lifespan of cats. The other options misuse the phrase grammatically or semantically.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “life expectancy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.