Australia is one of the world’s major migrant-receiving countries. More than three in ten residents were born overseas (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2025) and migration has, for decades, played a central role in shaping the country’s workforce, cities, families and cultural life. It has also influenced the health profile of the population. One of the widely documented findings in migration research is the so-called “healthy migrant effect”: migrants often arrive in their destination country in better health and tend to live longer than people born in the destination country (Anikeeva et al., 2010, Cunningham et al., 2008).

Healthy migrant? At first, yes

Australia broadly fits this pattern, but only in part. In our recent study of life expectancy and healthy life expectancy among overseas-born and Australian-born populations, migrants exhibited a clear longevity advantage (Huang et al., 2026). In 2016, life expectancy at birth was 84.8 years for the overseas-born population, compared with 82.4 years for the Australian-born population (Table 1). Similar differences were evident in 2006 and 2011: Australia’s migrant population does indeed live longer than the Australian-born population.

The reasons for this advantage are not difficult to understand. Migration is often a selective process: healthier individuals are more likely to migrate, and Australia’s migration system has long incorporated health checks and, particularly in recent decades, a strong emphasis on skilled migration (Martinez et al., 2015). Part of the observed advantage may also reflect so-called “salmon bias”, whereby migrants in poor health return to their country of origin and are therefore less likely to be captured in destination-country statistics. In addition, many migrants bring with them protective health behaviours, family networks and community ties that can contribute to better health, particularly in the early years after arrival. 

When longer lives do not mean healthier lives

Living longer does not necessarily mean living healthier. A person may live longer, but spend more of those years with disability, chronic illness or limitations in daily life. This is why healthy life expectancy matters, and this is where the story becomes more complex. In 2016, although overseas-born Australians enjoyed more healthy years at younger ages, this advantage diminished steadily through adulthood and reversed in later life. By ages 55–64, the overseas-born population had lower healthy life expectancy than the Australian-born population. At older ages, this produced a notable divergence: migrants retained a survival advantage yet experienced a disadvantage in health. Globally, immigrants spend a lower share of their life in good health: 91.7% vs 92.5% for natives (Table 1).

Between 2006 and 2016, life expectancy increased for both overseas-born and Australian-born Australians, but healthy life expectancy barely moved. Among overseas-born Australians, for instance, life expectancy at birth rose from 83.4 to 84.8 years, while healthy life expectancy increased only from 77.5 to 77.7 years, and, in comparative terms, things worsened for immigrants (Figure 1). Longer lives were not accompanied by equally large gains in healthy years.

The gendered aspect of migrant ageing

The most striking differences were observed among women. Overseas-born women lived longer than overseas-born men, but they spent a smaller proportion of life in good health. Compared with Australian-born women, their healthy-life advantage disappeared earlier than it did for men. By age 35, overseas-born women had a lower healthy life expectancy than Australian-born women, while overseas-born men retained an advantage over Australian-born men across almost the whole life course.

This matters because migrant women may face a double burden (Donato et al., 2014). Some arrive through family rather than employment pathways, and may therefore be less positively selected in terms of health and labour market advantage. After arrival, they may experience language barriers, unpaid caregiving responsibilities, weaker labour-market attachment, limited social networks, and difficulties accessing culturally appropriate healthcare. These pressures may accumulate over time and become visible in health outcomes in later life.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that migrants’ longer lives should not be taken as evidence that their health is secure. In Australia, the central challenge is increasingly about healthspan, not just lifespan. A multicultural ageing society requires services that recognise the intersecting influences of language, culture, gender, migration history and social disadvantage. This includes culturally safe primary care, stronger efforts in chronic disease prevention, better support for older migrant women, and improved data to identify which migrant communities are most at risk.

The healthy migrant effect remains real, but it is neither permanent nor evenly distributed. Australia’s migrants live longer: the next task is to ensure that those longer lives are also lived in good health. 

References

ANIKEEVA, O., BI, P., HILLER, J. E., RYAN, P., RODER, D. & HAN, G.-S. 2010. The health status of migrants in Australia: a review. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 22, 159-193.

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS. 2025. Australia’s population by country of birth [Online]. Available: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/australias-population-country-birth/latest-release [Accessed 4 June 2024].

CUNNINGHAM, S. A., RUBEN, J. D. & NARAYAN, K. V. 2008. Health of foreign-born people in the United States: a review. Health & place, 14, 623-635.

DONATO, K. M., PIYA, B. & JACOBS, A. 2014. The double disadvantage reconsidered: Gender, immigration, marital status, and global labor force participation in the 21st century. International Migration Review, 48, 335-376.

HUANG, G., GUO, F., TAKSA, L., CHENG, Z., LIU, L., ZIMMERMANN, K. F., TANI, M. & FRANKLIN, M. 2026. The ‘Healthy Migrant Effect’and Ageing: Life Expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy of the Migrant and Native-born Populations in Australia. Social Indicators Research, 182, 38.

MARTINEZ, J. N., AGUAYO-TELLEZ, E. & RANGEL-GONZALEZ, E. 2015. Explaining the Mexican-American health paradox using selectivity effects. International Migration Review, 49, 878-906.

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