Over the past 160 years, life expectancy (from birth) in the United States has risen from 39.4 years in 1860, to 78.9 years in 2020. One of the major reasons for the overall increase of life expectancy in the last two centuries is the fact that the infant and child mortality rates have decreased by so much during this time. Medical advancements, fewer wars and improved living standards also mean that people are living longer than they did in previous centuries.

Despite this overall increase, the life expectancy dropped three times since 1860; from 1865 to 1870 during the American Civil War, from 1915 to 1920 during the First World War and following Spanish Flu epidemic, and it has dropped again between 2015 and now. The reason for the most recent drop in life expectancy is not a result of any specific event, but has been attributed to negative societal trends, such as unbalanced diets and sedentary lifestyles, high medical costs, and increasing rates of suicide and drug use.

This statistic shows the average life expectancy in North America for those born in 2022, by gender and region. In Canada, the average life expectancy was 80 years for males and 84 years for females.

Life expectancy in North America

Of those considered in this statistic, the life expectancy of female Canadian infants born in 2021 was the longest, at 84 years. Female infants born in America that year had a similarly high life expectancy of 81 years. Male infants, meanwhile, had lower life expectancies of 80 years (Canada) and 76 years (USA).

Compare this to the worldwide life expectancy for babies born in 2021: 75 years for women and 71 years for men. Of continents worldwide, North America ranks equal first in terms of life expectancy of (77 years for men and 81 years for women). Life expectancy is lowest in Africa at just 63 years and 66 years for males and females respectively. Japan is the country with the highest life expectancy worldwide for babies born in 2020.

Life expectancy is calculated according to current mortality rates of the population in question. Global variations in life expectancy are caused by differences in medical care, public health and diet, and reflect global inequalities in economic circumstances. Africa’s low life expectancy, for example, can be attributed in part to the AIDS epidemic. In 2019, around 72,000 people died of AIDS in South Africa, the largest amount worldwide. Nigeria, Tanzania and India were also high on the list of countries ranked by AIDS deaths that year. Likewise, Africa has by far the highest rate of mortality by communicable disease (i.e. AIDS, neglected tropics diseases, malaria and tuberculosis).

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in United States was reported at 77.43 years in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Life expectancy at birth, total (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

The total life expectancy at birth in the United States saw no significant changes in 2022 in comparison to the previous year 2021 and remained at around 77.43 years. Life expectancy at birth refers to the expected lifespan of the average newborn, providing that mortality patterns at the time of birth in the given region do not change thereafter.Find more statistics on other topics about the United States with key insights such as crude birth rate, life expectancy of women at birth, and life expectancy of men at birth.

Japan had the highest life expectancy at birth of the G7 countries between 2000 and 2024, reaching 84.9. On the other hand, life expectancy in the United States was 79.5 years, the only one of the seven where it was below 80. Life expectancy dropped in all G7 countries following the COVID-19 pandemic.

School life expectancy, tertiary, male (years) in United States was reported at 3.4066 years in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - School life expectancy, tertiary, male (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) in United States was reported at 11.99 years in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) in United States was reported at 6.0693 years in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

School life expectancy, secondary, female (years) in United States was reported at 5.9254 years in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - School life expectancy, secondary, female (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Chart and table of India life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

Global life expactancy at birth has risen significantly since the mid-1900s, from roughly 46 years in 1950 to 73.5 years in 2025. Post-COVID-19 projections There was a drop of 1.7 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, between 2019 and 2021, however figures resumed upon their previous trajectory the following year due to the implementation of vaccination campaigns and the lower severity of later strains of the virus. By the end of the century it is believed that global life expectancy from birth will reach 82 years, although growth will slow in the coming decades as many of the more-populous Asian countries reach demographic maturity. However, there is still expected to be a wide gap between various regions at the end of the 2100s, with the Europe and North America expected to have life expectancies around 90 years, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to be in the low-70s. The Great Leap Forward While a decrease of one year during the COVID-19 pandemic may appear insignificant, this is the largest decline in life expectancy since the "Great Leap Forward" in China in 1958, which caused global life expectancy to fall by almost four years between by 1960. The "Great Leap Forward" was a series of modernizing reforms, which sought to rapidly transition China's agrarian economy into an industrial economy, but mismanagement led to tens of millions of deaths through famine and disease.

Chart and table of Germany life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

School life expectancy, primary and secondary, gender parity index (GPI) in United States was reported at 0.99492 GPI in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - School life expectancy, primary and secondary, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

Chart and table of Us life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

Chart and table of Ireland life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

A global phenomenon, known as the demographic transition, has seen life expectancy from birth increase rapidly over the past two centuries. In pre-industrial societies, the average life expectancy was around 24 years, and it is believed that this was the case throughout most of history, and in all regions. The demographic transition then began in the industrial societies of Europe, North America, and the West Pacific around the turn of the 19th century, and life expectancy rose accordingly. Latin America was the next region to follow, before Africa and most Asian populations saw their life expectancy rise throughout the 20th century.

School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) in United States was reported at 5.9523 years in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female (years) in United States was reported at 9.109 years in 2018, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - School life expectancy, primary and lower secondary, female (years) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on February of 2025.

In 2021, a woman in the United States aged 65 years could expect to live another 19.7 years on average. This number decreased in the years 2020 and 2021, after reaching a high of 20.8 years in 2019. Nevertheless, the life expectancy of a woman aged 65 years in the United States is still higher than that of a man of that age. In 2021, a man aged 65 years could be expected to live another 17 years on average.

Why has the life expectancy in the U.S. declined? Overall, life expectancy in the United States has declined in recent years. In 2019, the life expectancy for U.S. women was 81.4 years, but by 2021 it had decreased to 79.3 years. Likewise, the life expectancy for men decreased from 76.3 years to 73.5 years in the same period. The biggest contributors to this decline in life expectancy are the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic. Although deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic have decreased significantly since 2022, deaths from opioid overdose continue to increase, reaching all-time highs in 2021.

The leading causes of death among U.S. women The leading causes of death among women in the United States in 2020 were heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19. That year heart disease and cancer accounted for a combined 37 percent of all deaths among women, while around 10 percent of deaths were due to COVID-19. The overall leading causes of death in the United States generally reflect the leading causes among women with some slight variations. For example, Alzheimer’s disease is the fourth leading cause of death among women, but the seventh leading cause of death overall in the United States.

Chart and table of Philippines life expectancy from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.