Sex gap in life expectancy at different ages in United States of America
United States of America: Sex gap in life expectancy at different ages was 4.91 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.91 years
Change on year
down 9.0%
World rank
114th
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.49 years
in 1975
All-time low
2.72 years
in 1933
Years of data
91
1933–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy at different ages in United States of America, 1933–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 4.91 years for sex gap in life expectancy at different ages in 2023.
That represents a change of down 9.0% on the previous year and up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy at different ages in United States of America peaked at 7.49 years in 1975 and was at its lowest, 2.72 years, in 1933.
That places United States of America 114th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 91 years of available data.
Sex gap in life expectancy at different ages in United States of America, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1933 | 2.72 years | — |
| 1934 | 3.03 years | +11.4% |
| 1935 | 3.11 years | +2.6% |
| 1936 | 3.33 years | +7.1% |
| 1937 | 3.51 years | +5.4% |
| 1938 | 3.24 years | -7.7% |
| 1939 | 3.28 years | +1.2% |
| 1940 | 3.59 years | +9.5% |
| 1941 | 3.93 years | +9.5% |
| 1942 | 4.2 years | +6.9% |
| 1943 | 4.29 years | +2.1% |
| 1944 | 4.58 years | +6.8% |
| 1945 | 4.73 years | +3.3% |
| 1946 | 4.57 years | -3.4% |
| 1947 | 4.62 years | +1.1% |
| 1948 | 4.83 years | +4.5% |
| 1949 | 4.91 years | +1.7% |
| 1950 | 5.07 years | +3.3% |
| 1951 | 5.25 years | +3.6% |
| 1952 | 5.44 years | +3.6% |
| 1953 | 5.59 years | +2.8% |
| 1954 | 5.63 years | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 5.75 years | +2.0% |
| 1956 | 5.87 years | +2.1% |
| 1957 | 5.94 years | +1.2% |
| 1958 | 5.97 years | +0.6% |
| 1959 | 6.11 years | +2.2% |
| 1960 | 6.23 years | +2.1% |
| 1961 | 6.24 years | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 6.29 years | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 6.46 years | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 6.59 years | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 6.75 years | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 6.91 years | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 7.03 years | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 7.17 years | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 7.29 years | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 7.3 years | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 7.28 years | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 7.39 years | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 7.4 years | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 7.38 years | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 7.49 years | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 7.37 years | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 7.43 years | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 7.38 years | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 7.44 years | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 7.29 years | -2.1% |
| 1981 | 7.2 years | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 7.09 years | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 6.94 years | -2.2% |
| 1984 | 6.88 years | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 6.9 years | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 6.93 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 6.85 years | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 6.82 years | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 6.81 years | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 6.83 years | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 6.76 years | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 6.71 years | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 6.62 years | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 6.54 years | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 6.38 years | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 6.03 years | -5.4% |
| 1997 | 5.71 years | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 5.52 years | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 5.31 years | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 5.19 years | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 5.14 years | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 5.12 years | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 5.04 years | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 4.99 years | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 5 years | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 4.99 years | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 4.94 years | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 4.84 years | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 4.79 years | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 4.73 years | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 4.65 years | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 4.65 years | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 4.65 years | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 4.68 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 4.72 years | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 4.88 years | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 4.91 years | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 4.92 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 4.93 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.46 years | +10.7% |
| 2021 | 5.69 years | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 5.39 years | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 4.91 years | -9.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 3.17 years | 2.72 years | 3.51 years | 7 |
| 1940s | 4.42 years | 3.59 years | 4.91 years | 10 |
| 1950s | 5.66 years | 5.07 years | 6.11 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.7 years | 6.23 years | 7.29 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.39 years | 7.28 years | 7.49 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.97 years | 6.81 years | 7.29 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.24 years | 5.31 years | 6.83 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 5 years | 4.79 years | 5.19 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.77 years | 4.65 years | 4.93 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.36 years | 4.91 years | 5.69 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 111 Nicaragua 4.96 years compare
- 112 Aruba 4.95 years compare
- 113 Cayman Islands 4.93 years compare
- 115 Barbados 4.85 years compare
- 116 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 4.83 years compare
- 117 New Caledonia 4.78 years compare
More health data for United States of America
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1867 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,069 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,015 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 27 (2023)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2023)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 121 (2023)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy at different ages in United States of America?
- Sex gap in life expectancy at different ages in United States of America was 4.91 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest sex gap in life expectancy at different ages recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 7.49 years in 1975.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy at different ages recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.72 years in 1933.
- How does United States of America rank for sex gap in life expectancy at different ages?
- United States of America ranks 114th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy at different ages rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sex gap in life expectancy at different ages. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.