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.

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.

Introduction

Life Expectancy Statistics: Life expectancy is the average number of years a person is expected to live based on current mortality rates in a specific population.

It is influenced by healthcare quality, lifestyle choices, economic conditions, genetics, environmental factors, and social determinants like education and public health policies.

Typically measured as life expectancy at birth, it reflects the average lifespan of a newborn. However, it can also be assessed for older ages, such as 65, to predict additional years of life.

As of 2023, the countries with the highest life expectancy included Switzerland, Japan, and Spain. As of that time, a new-born child in Switzerland could expect to live an average of **** years. Around the world, females consistently have a higher average life expectancy than males, with females in Europe expected to live an average of *** years longer than males on this continent. Increases in life expectancy The overall average life expectancy in OECD countries increased by **** years from 1970 to 2019. The countries that saw the largest increases included Turkey, India, and South Korea. The life expectancy at birth in Turkey increased an astonishing 24.4 years over this period. The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide as of 2022 were Chad, Lesotho, and Nigeria, where a newborn could be expected to live an average of ** years. Life expectancy in the U.S. The life expectancy in the United States was ***** years as of 2023. Shockingly, the life expectancy in the United States has decreased in recent years, while it continues to increase in other similarly developed countries. The COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of suicide and drug overdose deaths from the opioid epidemic have been cited as reasons for this decrease.

China life expectancy for 2025 is 77.81, a 0.22% increase from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>China life expectancy for 2024 was <strong>77.64</strong>, a <strong>0.22% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>China life expectancy for 2023 was <strong>77.47</strong>, a <strong>0.22% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>China life expectancy for 2022 was <strong>77.30</strong>, a <strong>0.22% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.

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

Macau SAR Average Life Expectancy at Birth: Male data was reported at 80.600 Year in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 80.300 Year for 2017. Macau SAR Average Life Expectancy at Birth: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 78.900 Year from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2018, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 80.600 Year in 2018 and a record low of 75.100 Year in 1996. Macau SAR Average Life Expectancy at Birth: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics and Census Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Macau SAR – Table MO.G005: Life Expectancy at Birth.

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against life expectancy at birth (year) in Georgia. The data is about countries per year.

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 ...).

This statistic shows the average life expectancy in Europe for those born in 2024, by gender and region. The average life expectancy in Western Europe was 79 years for males and 84 years for females in 2024. Additional information on European life expectancy The difference in life expectancy seen between men and women across all European regions is in line with the global trends of women outliving men, on average. The average life expectancy at birth worldwide by income group shows that the gender life expectancy gap is not only a consistent trend across countries, but also income groups. Moreover, the higher life expectancy for those in high income groups may help to explain the lower average life expectancy for those born in Eastern Europe where average incomes are generally lower than other European regions. Although income and length of life are not directly correlated, higher income individuals are generally able to afford access to superior nutrition and healthcare as well as having leisure time for exercise. That said, current trends in the increases in life expectancy worldwide by country between 1970 and 2017 suggest economic growth will lead to larger increases in life expectancy. Those increases are less likely to occur to such a degree in the more developed regions of Europe where Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Iceland and Austria all rank in the top 20 countries with the highest life expectancy.

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against life expectancy at birth (year) in Romania. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Japan life expectancy for 2025 is 85.27, a 0.14% increase from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Japan life expectancy for 2024 was <strong>85.15</strong>, a <strong>0.14% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Japan life expectancy for 2023 was <strong>85.03</strong>, a <strong>0.14% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Japan life expectancy for 2022 was <strong>84.91</strong>, a <strong>0.14% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.

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).

This scatter chart displays median age (year) against life expectancy at birth (year) in Mozambique. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Historical chart and dataset showing Italy life expectancy by year from 1950 to 2025.

This scatter chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) against median age (year) in Micronesia. The data is about countries per year.

This scatter chart displays life expectancy at birth (year) against median age (year) in Comoros. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Greece life expectancy for 2025 is 83.10, a 0.18% increase from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Greece life expectancy for 2024 was <strong>82.95</strong>, a <strong>1.74% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Greece life expectancy for 2023 was <strong>81.54</strong>, a <strong>0.93% increase</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Greece life expectancy for 2022 was <strong>80.79</strong>, a <strong>0.88% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.

Throughout most of history, average life expectancy from birth was fairly consistent across the globe, at around 24 years. A major contributor to this was high rates of infant and child mortality; those who survived into adulthood could expect to live to their 50s or 60s, yet pandemics, food instability, and conflict did cause regular spikes in mortality across the entire population. Gradually, from the 16th to 19th centuries, there was some growth in more developed societies, due to improvements in agriculture, infrastructure, and medical knowledge. However, the most significant change came with the introduction of vaccination and other medical advances in the 1800s, which saw a sharp decline in child mortality and the onset of the demographic transition. This phenomenon began in more developed countries in the 1800s, before spreading to Latin America, Asia, and (later) Africa in the 1900s. As the majority of the world's population lives in countries considered to be "less developed", this figure is much closer to the global average. However, today, there is a considerable difference in life expectancies across these countries, ranging from 84.7 years in Japan to 53 years in the Central African Republic.

Macau SAR Average Life Expectancy at Birth data was reported at 83.700 Year in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 83.400 Year for 2017. Macau SAR Average Life Expectancy at Birth data is updated yearly, averaging 81.900 Year from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2018, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.700 Year in 2018 and a record low of 76.600 Year in 1996. Macau SAR Average Life Expectancy at Birth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics and Census Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Macau SAR – Table MO.G005: Life Expectancy at Birth.