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 17 more years on average. Women aged 65 years can expect to live around 19.7 more years on average.

Life expectancy in the U.S.

As of 2021, the average life expectancy at birth in the United States was 76.33 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 2019, a woman in the U.S. could be expected to live up to 79.3 years.

Leading causes of death

The leading causes of death in the United States include heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. However, heart disease and cancer account for around 38 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.

The life expectancy of men at birth in the United States saw no significant changes in 2023 in comparison to the previous year 2022 and remained at around 75.8 years. However, 2023 marked the second consecutive increase of the life expectancy. Life expectancy at birth refers to the number of years the average newborn is expected to live, providing that mortality patterns at the time of birth do not change thereafter.Find more statistics on other topics about the United States with key insights such as total fertility rate, infant mortality rate, and total life expectancy at birth.

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 ...).

Since 2014 Switzerland Male Life Expectancy at Age 65 was up 0.7% year on year at 20.3 Years.

Forecast: Male Life Expectancy at Age 65 in the US 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2022, the life expectancy at birth for women born in the UK was 82.57 years, compared with 78.57 years for men. By age 65 men had a life expectancy of 18.25 years, compared with 20.76 years for women.

Global Male Life Expectancy at Age 65 by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 50 data was reported at 30.083 Year Old in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 29.782 Year Old for 2016. Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 50 data is updated yearly, averaging 28.440 Year Old from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2017, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30.083 Year Old in 2017 and a record low of 25.930 Year Old in 1993. Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 50 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of the Interior. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Taiwan – Table TW.G006: Vital Statistics.

Life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy – at birth and age 65 by sex for local areas in the UK, 2016 to 2018.

This table contains 2754 series, with data for years 2005/2007 - 2012/2014 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (153 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority, Newfoundland and Labrador; Central Regional Integrated Health Authority, Newfoundland and Labrador; ...);  Age group (2 items: At birth; At age 65);  Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Males; Females);  Characteristics (3 items: Life expectancy; Low 95% confidence interval, life expectancy; High 95% confidence interval, life expectancy).

Forecast: Male Life Expectancy at Age 65 in Germany 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Male Life Expectancy at Age 65 in Italy 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 0 data was reported at 77.284 Year Old in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 76.808 Year Old for 2016. Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 0 data is updated yearly, averaging 74.769 Year Old from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2017, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 77.284 Year Old in 2017 and a record low of 71.610 Year Old in 1993. Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 0 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of the Interior. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Taiwan – Table TW.G006: Vital Statistics.

Life expectancy at birth and at age 65, by sex, on a three-year average basis.

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.

Forecast: Male Life Expectancy at Age 65 in Brazil 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

International estimates of mean life expectancy at age 40, by country for men and women

Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 20 data was reported at 57.875 Year Old in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 57.435 Year Old for 2016. Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 20 data is updated yearly, averaging 55.625 Year Old from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2017, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 57.875 Year Old in 2017 and a record low of 52.830 Year Old in 1993. Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 20 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of the Interior. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Taiwan – Table TW.G006: Vital Statistics.

Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 80 data was reported at 8.735 Year Old in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 8.633 Year Old for 2016. Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 80 data is updated yearly, averaging 8.346 Year Old from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2017, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.892 Year Old in 2013 and a record low of 6.410 Year Old in 1995. Taiwan Life Expectancy: Male: Age 80 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of the Interior. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Taiwan – Table TW.G006: Vital Statistics.

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).