Are Austrians ageing healthily?

Functional ability, an important health measure—especially in aging societies—is
measured through limitations in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental
activities of daily living (IADL). We use panel data from four waves of the Survey
of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) conducted between 2011
and 2022 to analyse trends in the prevalence of functional ability in Austria and
ten other European countries. Our results show a stagnation or modest decline in
functional limitations among the Austrian elderly, and a clear downward trend in
other European countries. These findings contrast with earlier evidence from the
Austrian Health Interview Survey (ATHIS), which suggested rapidly rising disability
rates—possibly reflecting survey mode effects rather than worsening functional
ability. Overall, our results indicate that, at a given age, Austrians and other Europeans
are experiencing increasingly healthy ageing, implying that rising longevity
does not necessarily extend the period lived with disability.