Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

How do you know when you’re old?

How do you know when you’re old?

When does someone hit “old age”? And what does it actually mean to be “old”?

Those were some of the questions Nathan Yau, a statistician who runs data analysis site FlowingData, posed in a recent post. Yau said the definition of “old age” is loose — some people say it depends on gender, others by aesthetics — but if we assume it is around 65 years old, in line with Medicare eligibility, then people are “old” longer now than ever before.



Nearly a century ago, it was uncommon to find people who lived past 65 years old. Half of males saw their 65th birthday and 57% of women did, whereas today, men, on average, spend 11 years in “old age” and women get 16 years.

Naturally, the survival rate of people in 2020 dips at 50 years old and continues on the decline until it flatlines at around 100 years old, but it’s a steady decrease into their 60s, 70s and even 80s.



Nathan Yau


Another way to define old age would be to link it to life expectancy, Yau said, citing research from a report about human life expectancy and aging. Doing so would keep someone “old” for the same amount of time, but it would help people plan for their future and retirement. Instead of tagging the description to a specific age, people who will naturally live longer can plan for old age to come later.

Life expectancy is a crucial aspect of retirement planning, even if it is difficult to determine. When someone has a rough idea of how long she will live, she can estimate how much money she needs to last her lifetime as well as how to spend it down in a timely fashion so she doesn’t have too much or too little left before she dies.

Americans are living longer, and they’re healthier for longer, which means they work later in life. Of course, that’s not the case for everyone, depending on their medical history, familial responsibilities and if they’re working physically demanding jobs. Still, associating retirement with a fixed age, like 65, isn’t always the best way to plan for this next stage of life, especially with many people working well into their 60s and 70s.

Yau has also written about “finding the new age for your age,” in light of society considering older people younger (“50 is the new 40,” for example). He looked at current and historical mortality data, and attempted to determine a new age for a person’s current age.

After using birth decades for comparison between men and women, he concluded the median difference between a person’s actual age and “new age” is about nine years. But that estimate changes depending on the decade being compared with 2020. For example, a 50-year-old in 2020 would be the “new 38” of 1950 but the “new 44” of 1980.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
×