From the mid-19th century until today, life expectancy at birth in the United States has roughly doubled, from 39.4 years in 1850 to 79.6 years in 2025. It is estimated that life expectancy in the U.S. began its upward trajectory in the 1880s, largely driven by the decline in infant and child mortality through factors such as vaccination programs, antibiotics, and other healthcare advancements. Improved food security and access to clean water, as well as general increases in living standards (such as better housing, education, and increased safety) also contributed to a rise in life expectancy across all age brackets. There were notable dips in life expectancy; with an eight year drop during the American Civil War in the 1860s, a seven year drop during the Spanish Flu empidemic in 1918, and a 2.5 year drop during the Covid-19 pandemic. There were also notable plateaus (and minor decreases) not due to major historical events, such as that of the 2010s, which has been attributed to a combination of factors such as unhealthy lifestyles, poor access to healthcare, poverty, and increased suicide rates, among others. However, despite the rate of progress slowing since the 1950s, most decades do see a general increase in the long term, and current UN projections predict that life expectancy at birth in the U.S. will increase by another nine years before the end of the century.

Global life expectancy at birth has risen significantly since the mid-1900s, from roughly 46 years in 1950 to 73.2 years in 2023. 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.

Historical dataset showing U.S. life expectancy by year from 1950 to 2025.

Historical dataset showing North America life expectancy by year from 1950 to 2025.

Over the past 75 years, women have generally had a higher life expectancy than men by around 4-6 years. Reasons for this difference include higher susceptibility to childhood diseases among males; higher rates of accidental deaths, conflict-related deaths, and suicide among adult men; and higher prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle habits and chronic illnesses, as well as higher susceptibility to chronic diseases among men. Therefore, men not only have lower life expectancy than women overall, but also throughout each stage of life. Throughout the given period, there were notable dips in life expectancy for both sexes, including a roughly four year drop in 1960 due to China's so-called Great Leap Forward, and a 1.8 year drop due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. Across the world, differences in life expectancy can vary between the sexes by large margins. In countries such as the Nordics, for example, the difference is low due to high-quality healthcare systems and access, as well as high quality diets and lifestyles. In Eastern Europe, however, the difference is over 10 years in Russia and Ukraine due to the war, although the differences were already very pronounced in this region before 2022, in large part driven by unhealthier lifestyles among men.

The life expectancy for men aged 65 years in the U.S. has gradually increased since the 1960s. Now men in the United States aged 65 can expect to live 18.2 more years on average. Women aged 65 years can expect to live around 20.7 more years on average. Life expectancy in the U.S. As of 2023, the average life expectancy at birth in the United States was 78.39 years. Life expectancy in the U.S. had steadily increased for many years but has recently dropped slightly. Women consistently have a higher life expectancy than men but have also seen a slight decrease. As of 2023, a woman in the U.S. could be expected to live up to 81.1 years. Leading causes of death The leading causes of death in the United States include heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, and cerebrovascular diseases. However, heart disease and cancer account for around 42 percent of all deaths. Although heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death for both men and women, there are slight variations in the leading causes of death. For example, unintentional injury and suicide account for a larger portion of deaths among men than they do among women.

Historical dataset showing Central America life expectancy by year from 1950 to 2025.

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.

This table contains 2394 series, with data for years 1991 - 1991 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 items: Canada ...), Population group (19 items: Entire cohort; Income adequacy quintile 1 (lowest);Income adequacy quintile 2;Income adequacy quintile 3 ...), Age (14 items: At 25 years; At 30 years; At 40 years; At 35 years ...), Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Females; Males ...), Characteristics (3 items: Life expectancy; High 95% confidence interval; life expectancy; Low 95% confidence interval; life expectancy ...).

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Low Income Countries was 65.00667 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Low Income Countries reached a record high of 65.00667 in January of 2023 and a record low of 33.88184 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Low Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Other Small States was 74.40735 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Other Small States reached a record high of 74.40735 in January of 2023 and a record low of 46.29368 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Other Small States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Upper Middle Income Countries was 76.19481 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Upper Middle Income Countries reached a record high of 76.19481 in January of 2023 and a record low of 46.32320 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Upper Middle Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Least Developed Countries was 66.51610 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Least Developed Countries reached a record high of 66.51610 in January of 2023 and a record low of 35.41296 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Least Developed Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Small States was 73.51200 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Small States reached a record high of 73.51200 in January of 2023 and a record low of 49.34416 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Small States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Middle Income Countries was 72.75025 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Middle Income Countries reached a record high of 72.75025 in January of 2023 and a record low of 43.10400 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Middle Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for the Arab World was 72.43896 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for the Arab World reached a record high of 72.43896 in January of 2023 and a record low of 40.34559 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for the Arab World - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

In the observed period, the average life expectancy increased in Poland. The average life expectancy for women in 2024 was **** years. For comparison, in 1950, women lived ** years shorter on average. Statistically, women live longer than men in Poland.

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Countries with Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations was 63.37430 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Countries with Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations reached a record high of 63.37430 in January of 2023 and a record low of 35.04165 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Countries with Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Lower Middle Income Countries was 69.59975 Number of Years in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Lower Middle Income Countries reached a record high of 69.59975 in January of 2023 and a record low of 39.23005 in January of 1950. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Life Expectancy at Birth, Total for Lower Middle Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

From now until 2100, India and China will remain the most populous countries in the world, however China's population decline has already started, and it is on course to fall by around 50 percent in the 2090s; while India's population decline is projected to begin in the 2060s. Of the 10 most populous countries in the world in 2100, five will be located in Asia, four in Africa, as well as the United States. Rapid growth in Africa Rapid population growth across Africa will see the continent's population grow from around 1.5 billion people in 2024 to 3.8 billion in 2100. Additionally, unlike China or India, population growth in many of these countries is not expected to go into decline, and instead is expected to continue well into the 2100s. Previous estimates had projected these countries' populations would be much higher by 2100 (the 2019 report estimated Nigeria's population would exceed 650 million), yet the increased threat of the climate crisis and persistent instability is delaying demographic development and extending population growth. The U.S. as an outlier Compared to the nine other largest populations in 2100, the United States stands out as it is more demographically advanced, politically stable, and economically stronger. However, while most other so-called "advanced countries" are projected to see their population decline drastically in the coming decades, the U.S. population is projected to continue growing into the 2100s. This will largely be driven by high rates of immigration into the U.S., which will drive growth despite fertility rates being around 1.6 births per woman (below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman), and the slowing rate of life expectancy. Current projections estimate the U.S. will have a net migration rate over 1.2 million people per year for the remainder of the century.