Germany vs United States: Life expectancy

Germany
81.2 Years
in 2024
United States
79 Years
in 2024
Germany rank
23rd
United States rank
26th

Life expectancy over time

  • Germany
  • United States
020406080196019922024

How they compare

Germany currently reports 81.2 Years against 79 Years in United States, a difference of 2.2 Years.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States ahead.

Germany ranks 23rd and United States ranks 26th of 41 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 5 and United States in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany United States Difference Ahead
1960s 70.33 Years 70.17 Years 0.16 Years Germany
1970s 71.76 Years 72.27 Years 0.51 Years United States
1980s 74.43 Years 74.59 Years 0.16 Years United States
1990s 76.7 Years 75.97 Years 0.73 Years Germany
2000s 79.33 Years 77.58 Years 1.75 Years Germany
2010s 80.79 Years 78.74 Years 2.05 Years Germany
2020s 80.86 Years 77.66 Years 3.2 Years Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher life expectancy, Germany or United States?
Germany, at 81.2 Years against 79 Years in United States as of 2024.
What is the difference in life expectancy between Germany and United States?
2.2 Years, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United States?
65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do Germany and United States rank globally for life expectancy?
Germany ranks 23rd and United States 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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Germany vs United States: 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/germany/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.