New Study Reveals Australians with Degrees Live Longer

2025-06-24 08:18:52

(MENAFN) A new study has uncovered stark disparities in both lifespan and overall well-being among Australians, closely tied to their level of education.

According to Monash University, men in Australia who earn a university degree by age 25 are likely to live 7.3 years longer than their peers who only finish Year 11 or less. For women, the difference is smaller but still significant—those with a university education live an average of 3.9 years longer than less-educated counterparts.

Beyond just lifespan, the quality of those years also diverges sharply. The research revealed that, starting at age 25, highly educated men can anticipate 11.1 additional years of quality-adjusted life compared to those with less education. For women, the advantage is 7.6 years.

To arrive at these figures, researchers examined data drawn from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey alongside national mortality statistics. Their analysis focused on Australians aged 25 and older, exploring how educational background correlates with health outcomes.

"In this study we've honed in on education status to gain a deeper understanding, at the individual level, of how education attainment impacts both the quantity (mortality) and the quality of life gained in Australia," said Zanfina Ademi, lead researcher and head of the Health Economics and Policy Evaluation Research group at Monash University.

Ademi stressed that the results highlight the need for health interventions that address disparities at a personal level, rather than depending exclusively on broader socioeconomic markers such as neighborhood or income.

This joint research effort with the Australian National University contributes to a growing body of work focused on equitable health assessments. Published in the journal PharmacoEconomics, the study emphasizes the importance of tracking health inequality by education level to better inform policy development.

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