To be surprised approx 12% of adults die by age 70?

[Constantrunner]

By adults I mean they die between 18 and 70 years of age. This includes some of my friends who died of cancer, but it still surprises me that the figure is so high. Bu5 maybe it's well known and it's just me who had no idea?

I would think it is coorect but I can have a skewed perception of health (ICU nurse.) It’s why I think there’s a fine balance- saving enough for retirement but also enjoying the now and not counting on making it to retirement/old age. Also- get life insurance and make a will.

For me personally I would have think it be higher percentage then that. No one in my family has make it even near to 70

I’m surprised it’s only 12% - though I guess we notice the deaths that feel most shocking and are biased by the trends in our own families.

Several people I knew at school and uni died in accidents and overdoses in their 20s and 30s. One was murdered.

There were 3 deaths by cancer among my uni cohort in our 40s.

My stepmother - a competitive cyclist with the healthiest lifestyle you could imagine - died of cancer at 59.

Only one of DH’s relatives lived past 70; most died early-mid 60s of heart disease and/or cancer.

This is one reason it pisses me off when the hale and hearty of Mumsnet insist it’s ageism to suggest that someone of retirement age might struggle with energy or mobility or cognitive decline. On my mother’s side of the family everyone’s well into heart failure and neurodegenerative disease in their 60s.

I’m 50 now, getting my affairs in order and chugging through my bucket list before I lose my faculties!

I thought it would be higher than 12 %.

On the other hand some families tend to live longer my grandfather was born in 1897on a poor family of 11one died at 4 as a lead gutter feels on her, the rest lived till around 80 my grandparents died at 68, from cancer 84, 89 and 91. Anecdotes are not really relevant

It is true that we are much more likely to remember our friends mother dying at 40 than friends great grandmother dying at 94, we are all skewed by our experience

So 88% of us make 70. I'm ok with that, good chance of being in the 88%.

What maybe more relevant is according to office of national statistics only 6-7%of women who reach 50 die before they are 70, so neglecting a pension is unwise. As you will almost certainly (93%) need it

There are areas in Scotland where average life expectancy is on 60 so that will be pulling the numbers down

I’m 56 and feel like my grandparents generation are living longer than their children.

I fret about my pension forecasts saying that I’ll run out of money in my 80’s but frankly I’ll be lucky to get there. Hoping to retire in my early 60’s and have 10 good years. Will put my feet up after that and live a frugal life.

I don’t think that is particularly high. When you consider accidents, suicide, cardiovascular disease, cancer, people born with conditions and genetic illness, alcohol related deaths, overdose…

Especially if you don’t smoke, drink, drive or have overweight or obesity.

DH is almost 70. I've lost count of the number of his friends funerals we have been to in the last few years. Mostly guys he was at school with. Working class Scots with mostly manual jobs and fairly unhealthy lifestyles.

I'm surprised it isn't higher.

It's 20 to 22% in Scotland

I have seen figures saying 10% of adults die before 60, which is worse. I have had several close relatives and friends die in their 50s. We live in the south east and not a very deprived or poor background.

Same here .

I feel lucky all the time to have lived to my 40s

What is depressing is that according to the ONS healthy lifespan at birth is 60.7 for males and 60.9 for females. That's a lot of unhealthy years for the majority of the population and it's fallen over the last decade.

Sounds about right to me- you have teenage accidents,cancer and heart disease between teenage and 70, plus lots of hereditary diseases, and accidents- if they had said it was a bit higher- up to 15% I wouldn't have been shocked.

OP your figure is wrong.

Thank you, that would be more like the numbers I would expect. Interesting how different they are for men and women.

PS I couldn't find the data in the report itself but I looked at the tables and I assume you're comparing number alive at 18 and 80 (the lx column)?

Me too!

18 and 70, but, yes.

Thanks, yes that was a typo!

It sounds low to me. Now I've hit 50 it feels like a steady (hopefully not fast) slope to the grave.

"Everyday above ground is a good day" - Armando Christian Pérez.

To be honest, 12% sounds very low to me..... by 70, I would expect a far higher number of deaths.

Seems very low to me.