How Old Was Dumbledore When He Died in Harry Potter? Explained

Are you wondering how old Dumbledore was when he died in Harry Potter and looking for an explanation? Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe, and his age is often brought up in the books. We also see him during the events of the prequel series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as a “Young Man” before he took over as Hogwarts Headmaster. Here is the full explanation of how old Dumbledore was when he died in Harry Potter.

At What Age Did Dumbledore Die in Harry Potter?

The Harry Potter books took place from 1991 to 1998, with the Half-Blood Prince taking place specifically in 1997. The official year of Dumbledore’s birth can be found on the Wizarding World website, July or August 1881. The official date of Dumbledore’s death can also be found on the Wizarding World website, June 30, 1997. This means that Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was 116 years old when Severus Snape slew him during the events of the Half-Blood Prince.

Dumbledore was surprisingly young compared to most ancient wizards, as the average life expectancy of a Wizard, per the Ministry of Divine Health, was 137 3/4 years during the events of Harry Potter. However, his age may seem shocking to Harry Potter fans since he was older than the average Muggle. To put this into perspective, the oldest male Muggle was 115 years old, and the oldest female Muggle was 122 years old.

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J.K. Rowling posted on the Wizarding World website that Wizards can catch any “mundane” disease that a Muggle can, but they can quickly cure it, giving them an advantage over Muggles. In addition, Newt Scamander also stated that a Muggle’s physiology differs slightly from a Wizard’s, giving them a slight advantage over typical everyday dangers. For instance, Rowling also points out that a Muggle could die or severely suffer from a scorpion sting, but a Wizard would not. However, that same Wizard may die from a bite of a Tentacula.

Finally, Rowling also points out that while Wizards may have a longer life expectancy than Muggles, they also face more dangers than Muggles, and most dangers that could kill a Wizard are hidden from Muggles. This includes Devil’s Snare, Blast-Ended Skrewts, Dragon Pox, Spattergroit, and magical spells. While we did see some of these dangers crossover into the Muggle world, it was infrequent.