At 78.9, the region was the only one in NSW to have a figure below 80 years, according to the Progress in Australian Regions Yearbook 2014 produced by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

The 2012 figure was the latest available and represented an increase of 0.7 years from the figure of 78.2 recorded in 2006.

The state's highest life expectancy belonged to the North Sydney and Hornsby region (85.4).

The only areas in Australia that had a lower life expectancy than the Far West and Orana region were Outback Queensland (75.2) and Outback Northern Territory (73.2).

The only other sub-80-years figures recorded were both higher than Far West and Orana, those being Outback South Australia (79.8) and Outback Western Australia (79.4).

With a drop from 75.3 to 75.2 years between 2006-2012, Outback Queensland was the only region in Australia to record a decrease in life expectancy over the period in question.

Life expectancy, according to the report, was "one of the most widely-used and internationally-recognised indicators of population health".

"It focuses on the length of life rather than its quality, but provides a useful measure of the general health of the population," the report read.

"Continuous improvements in life expectancy at birth indicate that an increasing proportion of people in a region are living long and healthy lives. Good health improves the well-being of individuals and the community.

"For individuals, good health means a life free of the burdens of illness, and the associated financial and social costs.

"For a region, a healthy population is more able to contribute to society through participation in employment, education and social activities.

"A good level of health also brings about reduced direct costs to the region through lower cost of health care."

Life expectancy in Australia increased by a year between 2006 and 2012, to 82. While much of the regional data had been sourced from the latest Census five years ago, the report contained projections about population, for instance, based on that data. The population of the Far West and Orana region, estimated at 118,680 in 2011, was predicted to rise to 138,527 in 2026.

The state's fastest-growing region, according to the report, would be the Blacktown area in Sydney, followed by Outer South West Sydney and South West Sydney. The slowest-growing region in NSW in that period was predicted to be the Mid-North Coast, followed by Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury.