New figures show Australians are living longer, with a life expectancy rate higher than people living in the United States and New Zealand.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) a boy born today could expect to live 79.7 years, while a girl could live for 84.2 years, the highest life expectancy estimates ever recorded in Australia.

The combined figure of 81.4 years is higher than the life expectancy rate in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and the US.

However the state or territory where people live can impact on their longevity.

The ACT recorded the highest figures of 81 years for males and 84.8 for females, while the Northern Territory was the lowest with an average 74.9 years for males and 80.5 for females.

The Northern Territory also recorded the highest infant mortality rate in Australia for 2011, with 7.6 deaths per 1,000 births. That is double the national rate of 3.8.

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The energy, resource and finance sectors led the falls on the local share market today after investors took their lead from Wall Street.

The All Ordinaries lost 0.7 per cent to 4,502 while the ASX 200 ended 33 points down at 4,484.

Overnight, US stocks tumbled to their lowest levels in three months as investors fretted whether the newly re-elected president, Barack Obama, can pull the economy back from the fiscal cliff with a Republican-dominated House.

The Dow retreated 2.4 per cent.

On the local market, coal miners saw some of the sharpest falls; Whitehaven lost almost 3 per cent.