The global life expectancy at birth for women is 75 years old and for men, it’s 70 years old.
However, in America, the average life expectancy for women is 81 years and for men 77 years.
Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, we will probably see a decrease in how long people live worldwide. In this definitive guide, we explore all the latest lifespan statistics by state, gender, ethnicity, and income to summarize the current climate.
Life expectancy at birth definition
The phrase ‘life expectancy at birth’ indicates the lifespan in years of a newborn child if all current mortality factors such as disease, remain the same through its entire life. Unless specified, all American lifespan expectancy figures on this page are ‘at birth’ as a standard.
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What Is The Average Life Expectancy At Birth In The US?
The average lifespan at birth figures in the US, these are the most up to date available from the OECD, CIA, and CDC.
Latest US Average Life Expectancy At Birth Figures:
* Latest available data is from 2017 | ** Latest available data is from 2016
There were a total of 2,813,503 resident deaths recorded in 2017, an increase of 69,255 from the previous year. Life expectancy is essentially a snapshot of any populations overall health. Based on the latest OECD figures (a collection of developed nations), the United States falls behind the member countries average lifespan by 1.9 years.
So What Does the Age Adjusted Death Rate Change of 2016-2017 Look Like?
Where Does The US Rank In Global Life Expectancy?
America is ranked 43rd out of 224 countries out of CIA’s World Factbook at 80 years.
Monaco leads with 89.4 years, followed by Japan (85.3) and Singapore (85.2).
The CIA data for average expectancy of life is considerably higher than in other studies. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that the percentage of developed nations that were classified as high income within this list are low.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows a good outline of where the United States rests out of 44 developed nations. Countries like Canada, Australia, and the majority of western European counties all rank above the US average of 78.5 years. In fact, there are 18 countries where the residents can expect to live 3 years longer and 25 countries with average lifespans over 80 years.
What Is The Life Expectancy Of An American Male Or Female?
Gender Specific Figures:
Latest available data is from 2017 - OECD
In almost every country in the world, women outlive men and the US is no exception. Women in the US live longer than men by 5 years, according to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The main change between the previous year’s data is in the lifespan of younger American males, increasing female’s gap by 0.1 years. Over 65 life expectancy data remained the same:
Latest available data is from 2017 - OECD
Which U.S. Ethnic Group Has The Longest Life Expectancy?
Gender Specific Figures:
Latest available data is from 2017 - OECD
According to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, there was an 11.9-year gap between Asian American and African American residents from 2016-2017. The ethnic groups with lower life expectancy had higher death rates from heart disease and other common mortality factors detailed below.
Latest available data is from 2017 - OECD
SOURCE REFERENCES
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What Is The Average Americans Lifespan Over Time? (1960-2017)
Using data from the World Bank and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), we’ve mapped the United States average life expectancy at birth from 1960 to 2017 (being the latest date published).
On average, age of death averages have increased each decade. However, recent declines have placed the latest figures in 2017 matching that of 2010 meaning we’ll be entering 2020 with the lowest 10 year increase since the 19th century.
Dates | Life Expectancy (Yrs) | Increase (Yrs) |
|---|---|---|
2010-2017 | 78.6 - 78.6 | 0 |
2000-2010 | 76.7 - 78.6 | 1.9 |
1990-2000 | 75.3 - 76.7 | 1.4 |
1980-1990 | 73.7 - 75.3 | 1.6 |
1970-1980 | 70.9 - 73.7 | 2.8 |
1960-1970 | 69.9 - 70.9 | 1 |
Why Has The US Had The Longest Sustained Lifespan Decline In Over A Century?
*CDC recorded this as a drop by decimal points; this figure was not disclosed
Since 2010, like in many countries across the world, life expectancy is steadily increasing for the United States. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many other sources, it hit a peak in 2014 and has been on a downward trend since.
The 2014-2017 drop in the United States life expectancy is the longest sustained downward trend since 1915-1918, where figures were impacted by World War I and an influenza pandemic.
Projected American Life Expectancy Figures For 2030
Studies from the World Health Organization and Imperial College London suggest life expectancy at birth is set to increase significantly in many developed countries by 2030. Countries like Japan and Monaco currently have the highest rates; however, according to this research, France and South Korea are expected to surpass them in the rankings. Furthermore, South Korean women will pass the average age of death expectancy of 90 years for the first time for any country.
By 2040: According to a new report from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the United States is expected to decline in these rankings by 2040. They reviewed their data against the CIA World Factbook data, and it showed an expected decline of 21 spots.
The underlying reasons the US is set to fall behind are:
What’s the pattern? In contrast, countries with lower mortality rates share excellent healthcare, low obesity rates, better nutritional diets, and fewer smokers. Of course, this is not pre-ordained, and there is ample time for these projected trajectories to alter their path.
SOURCE REFERENCES
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Top 10 Causes In The Average US Life Expectancy Decline
*Overdoses are included in the ‘unintentional injuries’ category
The ranking of the top 10 causes of mortality in the US remained the same from 2016 to 2017. The main areas of change came from age-adjusted death rates in suicide, unintentional injuries, diabetes, and pneumonia and influenza.
We see increases in deaths from obesity, substance abuse, and despair; in fact, the decline in the nation’s emotional well-being has been enough to drag down America’s average length of life.
The 3 Core Areas Of Change That Caused America’s Lifespan Decay
The percentage of the USA population that is obese shows a steady increase. Some thought-provoking statistics include:
In essence, obesity is the leading factor in the decline in America’s average length of life due to its intertwined relationship with leading mortality issues. Some interesting statistics on this include:
USA overdose rates show huge increases in deaths from 2014-2017, particularly in males aged 25-54.
One of the leading factors is the increase deaths from synthetic opioid overdoses such as fentanyl analogs, fentanyl, and tramadol.
Above, the USA suicide rates over time chart shows the steady increase in suicide deaths per 100,000 population.
It’s clear from the data that suicide rates among men are almost 4 times higher than women. However, a study recently published by the JAMA Network Open found that the gap is narrowing in some age groups. Researchers discovered that suicides among girls 10 to 14 years of age have risen by 13% since 2007. Whereas the same age group for boys increased by 7% in the same period.
Confronting these issues is going to be a huge undertaking, they’re multifaceted problems that require in-depth investigation and are often complex due to economic involvement. It is clear that if we want Americans to climb the rankings and live long lives like other prosperous developed countries, change is needed.
Why Has The US Had The Longest Sustained Lifespan Decline In Over A Century?
*CDC recorded this as a drop by decimal points; this figure was not disclosed
Since 2010, like in many countries across the world, life expectancy is steadily increasing for the United States. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many other sources, it hit a peak in 2014 and has been on a downward trend since.
The 2014-2017 drop in the United States life expectancy is the longest sustained downward trend since 1915-1918, where figures were impacted by World War I and an influenza pandemic.
SOURCE REFERENCES
Some Americans Don't Have Health Coverage
Percent Of U.S. States Without Health Insurance
The expected lifespan of the average American is a glimpse into the nation’s health as a whole. This sobering data highlights one of the issues mentioned previously, the countries with lower mortality rates share excellent healthcare.
Top 5 US states with the best / worst health insurance coverage percentages:
Top 5 States | % No Cover |
|---|---|
Massachusetts | 2.8% |
District of Columbia | 3.8% |
Vermont | 3.8% |
Hawaii | 4% |
Minnesota | 4.5% |
Bottom 5 States | % No Cover |
|---|---|
Texas | 17.1% |
Alaska | 14.9% |
Oklahoma | 13.9% |
Georgia | 13.9% |
Florida | 13.3% |
Why are uninsured rates increasing with Obamacare still active?
SOURCE REFERENCES
Life Expectancy In Us By State
Which States Have The Lowest Average Life Expectancy?
We know from looking at the global figures earlier that health and lifespan expectancy can be drastically dissimilar geographically. In the US, you can expect to live very different timescales depending on the state and county you reside in.
Top 5 States | Average Life Expectancy |
|---|---|
1). Hawaii | 81.5 |
2). California | 81.0 |
3). Minnesota | 80.8 |
4). New York | 80.7 |
5). Connecticut | 80.6 |
Bottom 5 States | Average Life Expectancy |
|---|---|
1). Mississippi | 74.6 |
2). West Virginia | 74.9 |
3). Alabama | 74.9 |
4). Kentucky | 75.1 |
5). Arkansas | 75.4 |
If you live in Hawaii, you can expect to live 6.9 years longer than if you lived in Mississippi, which range increases to 7.3 years for males.
Longest to shortest US life expectancy at birth states (Hawaii > Mississippi):
SOURCE REFERENCES
US States Vs Countries
Comparing State Specific Life Expectancy Globally
There’s a 6.9-year difference between living in Mississippi and Hawaii - We decided to investigate deeper into the disparity between states in terms of how long people live. We compared the countries in the CIA’s global life expectancy report to US states, revealing where your lifespan at birth is on a global scale.
Comparing states to countries enables us to visualize the huge discrepancy in expectancy of life when compared to the global rankings. People living in Mississippi, the lowest state, have the same average lifespan as Montserrat (74.6 years), ranked 122 out of 224 countries. Whereas, residents of Hawaii live as long as people from Anguilla (81.5), the country with the 24th longest lifespan expectancy globally.
Highest States
Lowest States
Other exciting pairings are where the state life expectancy matches countries that have been through a conflict of late. Countries like Iraq, Syria, Libya are all matching clustered southern states with low life expectancy such as South Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky.
SOURCE REFERENCES
Life Expectancy: Income VS State
How Much Longer Do The Rich Live In The Us?
We used income data from a study by JAMA Network by Raj Chetty, his team, and Vox to populate this visualization showing the consistent lifespan disparity between the richest and poorest in every state.
The Chetty study linked 1.4 billion tax returns to the Social Security Administration from all over the US, measuring mortality data. This data shows that, even now, each step you climb on the income ladder will consistently have a significant impact on your overall health and lifespan.
This gives a unique view of geographic variability in terms of the relationship between life expectancy and income. There was not one single state where income increases negatively impacted lifespan expectancy, and the gap in individual states was alarming.
The poorest residents in D.C. could expect to live almost 10 years less than the richest. Even at the other end of the gradient, the data shows us there was still a 6 year gap between each end of the income scale.
Looking back it the 1800’s, there was an upsurge in the availability of medical innovations in which only the very rich could afford. During 1850-1874, there was a 20-year gap between the rich and general population’s average lifespan; the irony is that this gap isn’t too different from the one present in D.C. today.
A strong reason for the income gap could be related to the fact that the average age of a small business owner is 50.3 years old. This means a small business owner in D.C. is going to live longer and probably build more wealth over time.
This data can also be used by companies that offer no medical exam life insurance to help them determine their rates based on overall life expectancy. If you haven't looked into getting covered, don't waste any time because we aren't living longer now days.