Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in United States
United States: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) was 78.89 years in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
78.89 years
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
61st
of 218 countries
All-time high
78.89 years
in 2024
All-time low
69.77 years
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in United States, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
United States recorded 78.89 years for life expectancy at birth, total in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in United States peaked at 78.89 years in 2024 and was at its lowest, 69.77 years, in 1960.
United States ranks 61st of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (Life World Population) in United States, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 69.77 years | — |
| 1961 | 70.27 years | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 70.12 years | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 69.92 years | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 70.17 years | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 70.21 years | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 70.21 years | -0.0% |
| 1967 | 70.56 years | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 69.95 years | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 70.51 years | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 70.81 years | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 71.11 years | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 71.16 years | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 71.36 years | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 71.96 years | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 72.6 years | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 72.86 years | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 73.26 years | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 73.36 years | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 73.8 years | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 73.61 years | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 74.01 years | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 74.36 years | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 74.46 years | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 74.56 years | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 74.56 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 74.61 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 74.77 years | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 74.77 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 75.02 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 75.21 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 75.37 years | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 75.62 years | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 75.42 years | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 75.62 years | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 75.62 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 76.03 years | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 76.43 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 76.58 years | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 76.58 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 76.64 years | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 76.84 years | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 76.94 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 77.04 years | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 77.49 years | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 77.49 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 77.69 years | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 77.99 years | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 78.04 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 78.39 years | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 78.54 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 78.64 years | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 78.74 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 78.74 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 78.84 years | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 78.69 years | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 78.54 years | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 78.54 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 78.64 years | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 78.79 years | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 76.98 years | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 76.33 years | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 77.43 years | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 78.39 years | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 78.89 years | +0.6% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 78.89 years is below the median for high income countries, which is 81.36 years, 97% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 70.17 years | 69.77 years | 70.56 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 72.23 years | 70.81 years | 73.8 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.47 years | 73.61 years | 75.02 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 75.85 years | 75.21 years | 76.58 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.45 years | 76.64 years | 78.39 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.67 years | 78.54 years | 78.84 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.6 years | 76.33 years | 78.89 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More health data for United States
- 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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2023)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.056 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0261 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.1919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in United States?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in United States was 78.89 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 78.89 years in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.77 years in 1960.
- How does United States rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- United States ranks 61st out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.