The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released a summary on the health of men in Australia, mapping out how men's health changes over their lifetimes and during different life stages.
The release coincides with International Men's Day which aims to raise awareness of men's wellbeing.
A baby boy born in 2024 can expect to live to 81.6 years on average with more than three-quarters of this in full health with no disease or injury.
But as boys age into men, risk-taking, substance use and societal expectations of masculinity become major health concerns, with suicide and self-inflicted injuries being the biggest causes of death in younger men.
The AIHW found half of deaths in men aged under 75 were potentially avoidable.
Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of these potentially avoidable deaths, followed by suicide and bowel cancer.
In Australia, there are 2500 men and boys who commit suicide each year and one in two young men experience mental health distress, according to research by charity the Man Cave.
Banners and pairs of shoes were laid on the lawns of Parliament House on Wednesday to raise awareness about the issue of male suicide.
Australian men can struggle to talk about their feelings but it is "not weak to speak", Labor MP Dan Repacholi said at the launch of a Parliamentary Friends of Healthy Masculinities group on Wednesday.
He said his own battle with weight and mental health after his Olympic career ended inspired him to advocate for men's health as a parliamentarian, leading to his appointment as special envoy for men's health.
"We need to open up to our vulnerabilities ... we were brought up by (society) telling us to have a teaspoon of concrete and harden up, you'll be right," Mr Repacholi said.
"But unfortunately, we're seeing the consequences of that later on down the track, for so many men who now can't talk about their issues, can't talk about their feelings, hide it in a bottle, hide it in other drugs, hide it in so many ways, and we just need to get a little bit better."
Senator David Pocock shared his experience accessing therapy after intense and recurring nightmares while playing for the Wallabies.
"My wife convinced me to go and see a therapist and I've been doing that ever since, and haven't looked back," he said.
"Just having someone to actually be able to be totally honest with and work through issues has been life-changing to me."
More than half of men surveyed by the Movember charity in 2024 believed it was normal for men to avoid regular health check-ups.
Meanwhile, 63 per cent felt gender stereotypes had affected their health behaviours and experiences in health care settings.
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