The maximum recorded lifespan of a brown bear in captivity is 50 years.
That record is associated with Andreas, a European brown bear who lived at the ARCTUROS bear sanctuary in northern Greece. He died on 24 May 2013 at the age of 50 and had been rescued from Greece’s former dancing-bear trade in 1993.
Brown bears generally live much shorter lives in the wild. Their average lifespan is about 25 years, although individuals in protected, lightly hunted populations can survive into their 20s or 30s. The oldest recorded wild brown bear was nearly 37 years old.
Captive longevity figures can vary because some animals’ birth dates are uncertain, especially rescued bears. The same records note captive females reaching around 40 years and males living up to 47, while Andreas is cited as the longest-lived brown bear on record. So 50 years is the accepted headline figure, not a typical lifespan.