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The Conversation
The Conversation
Fron Jackson-Webb, Deputy Editor and Senior Health Editor, The Conversation

Mental illness is up in young people, dementia is now the biggest killer: Australia’s health in 2026

Rob Curren/Getty, Science Photo Library/Canva, Canva, The Conversation

Australians’ life expectancy has increased steadily over time but dropped during the COVID pandemic, according to a new report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The report – Australia’s Health 2026 – shows life expectancy for a boy born in 2022–2024 was 81.1 years, while a girl could expect to live, on average, to 85.1 years.

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