China vs United States of America: Life expectancy

China
78 Years
in 2024
United States of America
79 Years
in 2024
China rank
27th
United States of America rank
26th

Life expectancy over time

  • China
  • United States of America
020406080196019922024

How they compare

United States of America currently reports 79 Years against 78 Years in China, a difference of 1 Years.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States of America ahead.

China ranks 27th and United States of America ranks 26th of 41 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States of America Difference Ahead
1960s 50.09 Years 70.17 Years 20.08 Years United States of America
1970s 60.43 Years 72.27 Years 11.84 Years United States of America
1980s 66.22 Years 74.59 Years 8.37 Years United States of America
1990s 70.12 Years 75.97 Years 5.85 Years United States of America
2000s 73.85 Years 77.58 Years 3.73 Years United States of America
2010s 76.8 Years 78.74 Years 1.94 Years United States of America
2020s 78.06 Years 77.66 Years 0.4 Years China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy, China or United States of America?
United States of America, at 79 Years against 78 Years in China as of 2024.
What is the difference in life expectancy between China and United States of America?
1 Years, with United States of America ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?
65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do China and United States of America rank globally for life expectancy?
China ranks 27th and United States of America ranks 26th of 41 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs United States of America: Life expectancy. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/life-expectancy-2/china/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy
Unit
Years
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 3,041 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents data on life expectancy at birth, and at ages 40, 60, 65 and 80 years old. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.