The ‘Healthy Migrant Effect’ and Ageing: Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy of the Migrant and Native-born Populations in Australia

How health status changes as migrants age and become to their host country remains underexplored. This study investigates two key indicators—life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE)—among migrants in Australia using nationally representative secondary data, including census-based Estimated Resident Population, 1% Census sample, and mortality statistics. LE refers to the average number of years a person is expected to live, while HLE refers to the expected healthy years. Results show that, compared with the Australian-born population, the overseas-born population enjoys higher LE (e.g., LE at birth: 83.4 vs 81.1 years in 2006; 83.9 vs 81.7 in 2011; 84.8 vs 82.4 in 2016). However, the overseas-born population shows higher HLE at younger ages but significantly lower HLE in later life. With increasing age, both HLE and the HLE/LE ratio of the overseas-born population declines more rapidly than among Australian-born, though this trend slows at very advanced ages. Overseas-born females experience earlier and greater health deterioration than their male counterparts, highlighting the importance of gender-sensitive approaches to migrant health and ageing. From 2006 to 2016, LE for the overseas-born population increased by 1.4 years. Over the same period, HLE for the overseas-born population rose by only 0.2 years, and the HLE/LE ratio declined by 1.3%. These findings suggest nuanced ageing trajectories among migrants, with implications for life-course health interventions and policy. The results underscore the need for migrant-inclusive and gender-sensitive health strategies to support healthy ageing in Australia.