As of 2022, the countries with the highest life expectancy included Liechtenstein, Japan, and Switzerland. In Japan, a person could expect to live up to around 84 years. In general, the life expectancy for females is higher than that of males, with lifestyle choices and genetics the two major determining factors of life expectancy. Life expectancy worldwide The overall life expectancy worldwide has increased since the development of modern medicine and technology. In 2011, the global life expectancy was 70.53 years. By 2019, it had increased to 72.79 years. However, the years 2020 and 2021 saw a decline in global life expectancy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, not every country has seen a substantial increase in life expectancy. In Chad, for example, the life expectancy is only 53 years, almost 20 years shorter than the global average. In addition to Chad, the countries with the shortest life expectancy include Lesotho, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic. Life expectancy in the U.S. In the United States, life expectancy at birth is currently 77.43 years. Life expectancy in the U.S. generally increases every year, however, over the past decade, life expectancy has seen some surprising decreases. The major contributing factors to this drop have been the ongoing opioid epidemic, which claimed around 81,806 lives in 2022 alone, and the COVID-19 pandemic.