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I am going to assume this has been answered somewhere, but I can't find how. How long can people live in the 41st Millenium. I don't mean space marines, or your average imperial guard person, who lives like what 18 hours, but I mean, how long of a lifespan does the average person have? The only reference I know about of age is Caiphas Cain. He often talks about how he has been serving the imperium for a hundred years. Are there any other references in the fluff that talk about how long the average person can live?

it depends on how much money a person has.


the Imperium has various Juvnat treatments which can extend a persons natural life for quite a long time.

the cheapest treatments are avaliable to just about everyone, but don't work as well. the poorest people(like Hive scum) probably couldn't expect to live much beyond 70-80(assuming they weren't killed by disease or violence)


on the other hand, people with money can live for several hundred years(and look no older then their mid forties)

3-400 is probably tops for rich people.

Adeptus Mechanicus personell can live much much longer(of course this usually involves turning 80+% of their body into mechanical parts)

I don't think Juvenat treatments are available below a certain social status (officer corps, higher ranking clergy, nobility, etc) at all. I imagine that stuff to be quite expensive, and people in 40k sound like they regularly couldn't even afford proper food.

Hive scum probably lives around 40-60 years, simply due to all the toxic waste and pollution messing up people's bodies. Likely they get shot or stabbed earlier than that. On a peaceful agri-world I could see humans go as old as 80-100 though.

It really is a combination of income and location, but in general I don't think it's drastically different than our modern day world (just replace Hives and Feudal Worlds with various 3rd world countries).

People who reside on a Death World don't often make it out of childhood. Those that do can generally expect an average of 40-50 years... assuming something doesn't eat them beforehand. Cause of Death on a Death World is rarely from old age or other natural causes (other than a particularly malicious plant).

Hive Worlders of the median and lower income levels can expect to live about 60-80 years, given the atmospheric toxins, radiological hazards, and other environmental concerns that shorten the human lifespan. People who live up-Hive have money, and thus access to better medical care and rejuvenat, and so live much, much longer.

Imperial and live pretty much like we do in the modern world. 80-100 is feasible, but, again, the wealthy have access to rejuvenat and better medical care, possibly reaching a natural lifespan of 120 before rejuve is necessary.

Feudal and Feral Worlders live only slightly longer than Death Worlders, for much the same reasons, except that the planet itself is often not actively trying to kill you. No one on a Feral World has access to rejuvenat (excepting certain, unique Feral Worlds). Fire is still a pretty nifty thing to these people. Feudal Worlds are a bit more advanced than this, though not by a great degree (relatively speaking), and again get into class-based life expectancies, though to a lesser degree than on Hive Worlds (a Feudal World is still a Feudal World, regardless of your income).

Those who have access to juvenat treatments can definitely last a while. Inquisitor Lilith Abfequarn was already an experienced inquisitor in the Ravenor books in 403, and didn't seem to have aged all that much by the time she shows back up in the Gaunt series, 365 years later.

The impression I get is that on most standard Imperial Worlds (ie, not Death/Feudal/Feral worlds), you can live to at least 120-150 if you're not hive-scum. And those with the resources can live far, far longer.

I dont think that an normal, but rich citizen could live over 400 years. Unless they have transformed into some kind of cyborgs. The most ancient ultramarine there is, is chaplain cassius and his only 400 years old? Blood angels have been blessed with almost endless age (their chapter master is well over 1000 years old). The average lifespan of an imperial citizen is in my opinion close to 120 and for rich people, over 200. People who live in bottom of hive cities? Id say about 40-60 years.

It is unknown if Space Marines can truly die of old age in normal circumstances. They may, as far as we know, be effectively immortal. However, their job-description doesn't offer much of a retirement plan.

Can regular people live to 400 years? They sure can. Between a combination of bio-augmetic surgery and rejuvenat treatments, it's not an impossibility. It is, however, very, very, very expensive, as the older you get, the less effective rejuvenat becomes. However, you can still have your organs replaced with vat-grown or mechanical replacements, and rejuve the rest of you, and make it to 400 years or more, if you are careful, and lucky.

For myself... eh... I think I would get bored.

No marine has ever died of old age, yet.

Space Marines always die in battle, become dreadnoughts, or are wounded to the point where they are given the Emperor's peace.

Dante is the oldest living marine known(Bjorn and other Dreds really don't count due to the stasis fields keeping them alive) and he is over 1100 years old(Lysander can't remember when Dante wasn't chapter master and he was in the Warp for 1,000 years plus the time it took for him to go from Initiate to 1st Captain)

So Dante is probably pushing 1,600 years with the possability for alot more.

Grey Templar wrote:Lysander can't remember when Dante wasn't chapter master and he was in the Warp for 1,000 years

Wait, 1.000 years as in ... 1.000 years in the warp, or 1.000 years in real time? That can be a massive difference!

Lynata wrote:

Grey Templar wrote:Lysander can't remember when Dante wasn't chapter master and he was in the Warp for 1,000 years

Wait, 1.000 years as in ... 1.000 years in the warp, or 1.000 years in real time? That can be a massive difference!

Lysander was in the warp for 1,000 real years. AFAIK, he seemed to transit instantly through the warp, but really he came out 1,000 years later.

Don't forget that many of the Chaos legions are the original ones from the Great Crusade. There's no telling what their actual age is due to time working differently in the Eye of Terror.

Grey Templar wrote:No marine has ever died of old age, yet.

True, but some Marines have become infirm due to old age. They come across one in Salamander (by Nick Kyme), although the impression I got was that the Marine in question had become as he was due to inactivity. He was completely feeble and had to be given the Emperor's Mercy. (A phrase which I never liked until a friend of mine pointed out that it was infinitely more compassionate than 'done from behind like Ol Yeller.')

In addition, lifespans can vary greatly among the regular old populace. Depending on whether the person has undergone cryogenics, the lifestyle, and the frequency and quality of life prolonging juvenat treatments, people can routinely reach 300 or more, even just well to do business moguls. Those of greater importance or influence have reached six or even eight hundred years of age. Just under eight hundred seems to be the oldest character I have ever heard of (normal person, reached her age through (presumable) juvenat treatments).

yeah, that dude in the Salamander novel had basically atrophied away. they thought he was dead at first.


I have often read books and there are Veteran sergeats training the initiates and they are basically acting like tired grumpy old men.

Its probably more of a mental thing. Imagine living for hundreds of years doing the same basic thing, constant fighting, constant facing the same foes over and over again, protecting the same rock over and over again. you probably get a little jaded. especially since you don't have the ability to enjoy your long life by doing fun things. nothing but work work work all your life, and in exchange you get a glorious death on some emperor forsaken rock. or you get slapped in a metal suit, now you are really immortal. at least you get to take loooong naps in between battles.

I'm personally curious how old some of the eversor assassins and such are considering they are usually kept in stasis between missions.

Well, time in stasis isn't really the same thing as getting older. You don't experience the intervening years. Bjorn for example is in a dreadnought and has been around for over 10000 years, but he's probably lived less than 1000 of them.

I think Cain served for more than 200 years, his exact age is unknown. For the average imperial citizen perhaps about 50-100 at most without any juvenat treatments, most of them work in appalling conditions and perform menial and repetitive tasks for long hours such as smeltry work and administatum tasks. Those in the lower hives would probably be able to live a shorter average lifespan, perhaps 30-70 years due to the constant violence and polution there. Juvenat treatments have been known to increase the lifespans drastically.

Grey Templar wrote:yeah, that dude in the Salamander novel had basically atrophied away. they thought he was dead at first.


I have often read books and there are Veteran sergeats training the initiates and they are basically acting like tired grumpy old men.

Its probably more of a mental thing. Imagine living for hundreds of years doing the same basic thing, constant fighting, constant facing the same foes over and over again, protecting the same rock over and over again. you probably get a little jaded. especially since you don't have the ability to enjoy your long life by doing fun things. nothing but work work work all your life, and in exchange you get a glorious death on some emperor forsaken rock. or you get slapped in a metal suit, now you are really immortal. at least you get to take loooong naps in between battles.

Space Marine bodies are functionally immortal, according to Loken. I would postulate that their minds would give up long before that, Dante and Qruze being good examples of this.

iproxtaco wrote:

Grey Templar wrote:yeah, that dude in the Salamander novel had basically atrophied away. they thought he was dead at first.


I have often read books and there are Veteran sergeats training the initiates and they are basically acting like tired grumpy old men.

Its probably more of a mental thing. Imagine living for hundreds of years doing the same basic thing, constant fighting, constant facing the same foes over and over again, protecting the same rock over and over again. you probably get a little jaded. especially since you don't have the ability to enjoy your long life by doing fun things. nothing but work work work all your life, and in exchange you get a glorious death on some emperor forsaken rock. or you get slapped in a metal suit, now you are really immortal. at least you get to take loooong naps in between battles.

Space Marine bodies are functionally immortal, according to Loken. I would postulate that their minds would give up long before that, Dante and Qruze being good examples of this.

Thats what Loken said with the information he knew up to that point.


Now, he hasn't been proved wrong, but no Astartes was over 200 years old at the time he said that. not that old for a space marine in the 41st millenium.

Functionally Immortal is as correct. are they actually immortal? can't be proven.

That's not a piece of information that relies on a Marine dying of old age. The Marines basic biological functions render is body able to function in it's purpose forever, if you believe that piece of fluff. It's obviously something that he knows, rather than something he's deduced.
As said though, the mind is entirely separate and seems to be affected by the same conditions as a normal human mind, just delayed.

Just because a Marine's body isn't degenerating at one point in time doesn't mean it will never happen.

You can't ever prove something is well and truly never going to die of old age, even after billions of years.

They only response to that is to repeat what I said before. It's not a fact that needed to be proven, it's something Loken knew, that Space Marines bodies will continue to function forever, as part of their design. Its not speculation on his part.
Not that this is necessarily the correct and only piece of fluff on the aging process of Space Marines.

The fluff has made it to the 41M... and I don't think any marine has died of old age yet (I've read most, but not all BL fiction).

Back to the Adeptus Mechanicus. Some tech priests can have their intellect transferred from body to body, almost endlessly. So even bio/mechanical limits aside... as long as they have the resources, they are functionally immortal too (probably need a rank of around Genetor for that).

On a side note: I would love to see an AM faction/codex... just as an ally in force (similar to Daemon Hunters before the Grey Knight book).

So I've been thinking, what about the Adeptus Custodes? Do those guys go into battle? I mean they are supposed to be guarding the Emps basically so I can't imagine them dying like SMs. Does that mean there might be some still left over continuing to guard the Emps going all the way back to Heresy times?

The custodes could be that old. Look at the traitor Dark Angels for reference. All of the fallen are from around 10k years ago. So it is safe to assume that Cypher is around 10k years old along with the other fallen angels. We can aslo assume that there are other space marines that are too old to be fit for battlefield roles but still play a part in the chapter.

IIRC there was a general in one of the Imperial Guard novels that refuses rejuve treatment but dies around the age of 80 in battle. So it would be fair to assume the average upper-middle class person could easily live 120+ years.

Yeah, I can imagine that the average person can live up to around 100 years. I mean come on, it's the 41st millenium. Sure it's terrible and sure a lot of tech was lost but we are still talking pretty advanced stuff here (i.e. augmentic lungs and other such things). The only problem I forsee is whether or not there is health insurance in the 41st millenia and what kind of coverage can you get?

As has been said, you're cross referencing wealth and location.

Marines, while functionally immortal, always die in battle, so the age they could achieve is unknown. Interesting asides can be made about the age of the traitor marines (a good number of them are 10000+ years old [Although time in the warp is a whole other can of worms]) and also about the mental degeneration of an ancient space marine.

High ranking Admech are more than capable of 700 - 1000 years, although by this point their humanity would be debatable.

High ranking, wealthy individuals with access to special privelges, such as inquisitors can live for many centuries.
400 - 700 year old Inquisitors are not uncommon.

The bracket below them would be people like planetary governors, warmasters, senior ecclesiarchs, etc; people who have the money for the best juvenat treatments, but not necessarily the privelege for the more arcane or nebulous technology. Id give them up to 400 years

A minor noble or very rich citizen from a civilised world with the means to have limited juvenat treatments can go anything from 120 - 250 odd years

Healthy, well to do citizens of civilised worlds 120 - 180ish

Average Joe on a civilised world - a 140 year old man qualifies as 'old'.

obviously the lower down the socio-economic food chain you go from here, the lower your life expectancy. Most hive scum probably dont make it past 40/50

then you have death worlds & feudal worlds where a 40 year old would be very old indeed.

this is how its presented in the Eisenhorn books.

The commander dude in the Iron Warriors book, (storm of iron), had aged thousands of years because of some warp influence, and was pretty much a feeble old man.

Depends who you're talking about. As others have stated if you focus only on planet-bound civilians, then it's determined by your wealth. Natural lifespan seems to be in the realm of 80-100 years (so not dramatically better than now). Of course, outside of the rich who can afford the juvenat treatments living to that lifespan is tricky since there's always something grimdark looking to eat/enslave/torture/murder you.

The one aspect that's only been lightly touched on is spacers including Imperial Guard, Imperial Navy, merchants and Rogue Traders. Time in the warp is odd, and a month in the warp could be days in the real world, or decades. There's even some older references that imply it was possible, though rare, for ships to arrive at their destination before they left.

This leads to the dual measurement of time; objective (how long in the "normal" universe to a neutral observer) and subjective (how much time the individual has perceived). The Chaos Legions are the prime example, as the traitors fighting the 13th Black Crusade are, in large part, the same Legionnaires who fought during the Heresy. They're over ten millenia objectively, but to their own recollections most of them probably don't recall more than a century or two. Lysander is another good example, as is the novel First Heretic where the squad spend months to their own perceptions in the warp, but to the awaiting fleet they were gone a few moments.

Throwing warp travel in the mix gives you an answer of "as long as the plot requires them to live" which is convenient, but also slightly backed up by actual science. Time does "slow down" near the speed of light so in the warp, where faster-than-light is possible, time would also likely do funky things (for other reading, Old Man's War by John Scalzi, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card are all excellent novels that touch on this aspect of possible interstellar travel). This could also explain why Inquisitors never seem to die outside of bullets to the head, since their job requires them to travel frequently.