Chapter 14. Evidence · Article 9. Miscellaneous Provisions · Last amended 2009 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-419 supplies a statutory mortality table that courts receive as evidence of a person’s life expectancy at any given age, to be weighed alongside other evidence of that person’s health, constitution, and habits whenever life expectancy needs to be established and no other provision covers the case.
Full Text of § 8.01-419
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Whenever, in any case not otherwise specifically provided for, it is necessary to establish the expectancy of continued life of any person from any period of such person's life, whether he be living at the time or not, the following table shall be received in all courts and by all persons having power to determine litigation as evidence, with other evidence as to the health, constitution and habits of such person, of such expectancy represented by the figures in the following columns:
a BOTH MALE FEMALE b AGE SEXES 74.7 80 c0 77.4 74.3 79.5 d1 77 73.3 78.5 e2 76 72.4 77.6 f3 75 71.4 76.6 g4 74 70.4 75.6 h5 73.1 69.4 74.6 i6 72.1 68.4 73.6 j7 71.1 67.4 72.6 k8 70.1 66.5 71.6 l9 69.1 65.5 70.6 m 10 68.1 64.5 69.6 n 11 67.1 63.5 68.7 o 12 66.1 62.5 67.7 p 13 65.1 61.5 66.7 q 14 64.2 60.5 65.7 r 15 63.2 59.6 64.7 s 16 62.2 58.6 63.7 t 17 61.2 57.7 62.8 u 18 60.3 56.7 61.8 v 19 59.3 55.8 60.8 w 20 58.4 54.9 59.8 x 21 57.4 54 58.9 y 22 56.5 53 57.9 z 23 55.5 52.1 56.9 aa 24 54.6 51.2 56 ab 25 53.6 50.3 55 ac 26 52.7 49.3 54 ad 27 51.7 48.4 53 ae 28 50.8 47.4 52.1 af 29 49.8 46.5 51.1 ag 30 48.9 45.6 50.1 ah 31 47.9 44.6 49.2 ai 32 47
a BOTH MALE FEMALE b AGE SEXES 43.7 48.2 aj 33 46 42.8 47.2 ak 34 45.1 41.8 46.3 al 35 44.1 40.9 45.3 am 36 43.2 40 44.4 an 37 42.3 39.1 43.4 ao 38 41.3 38.1 42.5 ap 39 40.4 37.2 41.5 aq 40 39.5 36.3 40.6 ar 41 38.6 35.4 39.7 as 42 37.6 34.5 38.7 at 43 36.7 33.6 37.8 au 44 35.8 32.8 36.9 av 45 34.9 31.9 36 aw 46 34 31 35.1 ax 47 33.1 30.2 34.1 ay 48 32.3 29.3 33.2 az 49 31.4 28.5 32.3 ba 50 30.5 27.6 31.4 bb 51 29.6 26.8 30.6 bc 52 28.8 26 29.7 bd 53 27.9 25.1 28.8 be 54 27.1 24.3 27.9 bf 55 26.2 23.5 27 bg 56 25.4 22.7 26.2 bh 57 24.6 21.9 25.3 bi 58 23.8 21.2 24.5 bj 59 23 20.4 23.7 bk 60 22.2 19.6 22.8 bl 61 21.4 18.9 22 bm 62 20.6 18.2 21.2 bn 63 19.8 17.5 20.4 bo 64 19.1 16.8 19.7 bp 65 18.4 16.1 18.9 bq 66 17.6 15.4 18.1 br 67 16.9 14.7 17.4 bs 68 16.2 14.1 16.7 bt 69 15.5 13.4 15.9 bu 70 14.8 12.8 15.2 bv 71 14.2 12.2 14.5 bw 72 13.5 11.6 13.8 bx 73 12.9 11 13.2 by 74 12.3
a BOTH MALE FEMALE b AGE SEXES 10.5 12.5 bz 75 11.7 9.9 11.9 ca 76 11.1 9.4 11.3 cb 77 10.5 8.9 10.7 cc 78 10 8.4 10.1 cd 79 9.4 7.9 9.5 ce 80 8.9 7.5 9 cf 81 8.4 7 8.4 cg 82 7.9 6.6 7.9 ch 83 7.5 6.3 7.4 ci 84 7 5.9 7 cj 85 6.6 5.5 6.6 ck 86 6.2 5.2 6.1 cl 87 5.8 4.9 5.7 cm 88 5.5 4.6 5.4 cn 89 5.1 4.3 5 co 90 4.8 4 4.7 cp 91 4.5 3.8 4.4 cq 92 4.2 3.5 4.1 cr 93 4 3.3 3.8 cs 94 3.7 3.1 3.5 ct 95 3.5 2.9 3.3 cu 96 3.2 2.7 3.1 cv 97 3 2.5 2.9 cw 98 2.8 2.4 2.7 cx 99 2.6 2.2 2.5 cy 100+ 2.5
Plain-English Summary
Cases involving future lost earnings, wrongful death damages, or annuity-like calculations often need a number for how much longer someone was expected to live. Rather than requiring expert actuarial testimony every time, this section supplies a standard table — broken out by age and by sex — that any court or anyone with power to decide litigation must receive as evidence of life expectancy.
The table is not meant to stand alone. The statute directs that it be considered along with other evidence about the particular person’s health, build, and habits, so a fact-finder can adjust the statistical baseline to fit someone who was, say, unusually healthy or dealing with a chronic condition. It applies whenever life expectancy needs proving and no other statute already covers the situation, and it works whether the person is still living or has since died.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the life expectancy table in § 8.01-419 used for?
Establishing the expectancy of continued life of a person from any point in that person’s life, for use as evidence in court.
Does the table apply only to people who are still alive?
No. The statute applies whether the person whose life expectancy is at issue is living at the time or not.
Is the life expectancy table the only evidence a court can consider?
No. The table is received along with other evidence about the person’s health, constitution, and habits.
Does the table give different figures for men and women?
Yes. It breaks out expectancy figures by age for both sexes combined, for males, and for females.
When does this table apply, as opposed to some other method of proving life expectancy?
Whenever life expectancy needs to be established in a case not otherwise specifically provided for.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-263.1; 1966, c. 472; 1977, c. 617; 1986, c. 317; 1996, c. 394; 2009, c. 454.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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