United States — Life expectancy
Life Expectancy at Birth for United States, 1960–2024.
Life expectancy for United States was 78.9 in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 65 years, from 1960 to 2024. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 69.8 in 1960 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.19% per year.
United States ranks 61 of 217 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 28%. The median for North America is 82.1, so United States sits below it. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 0%.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 25th of 215 in 1960 → 31st of 216 in 1970 → 24th of 216 in 1980 → 31st of 217 in 1990 → 38th of 217 in 2000 → 48th of 217 in 2010 → 67th of 217 in 2020 → 61st of 217 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1960 to 2024
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 78.89 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 78.39 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 77.43 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 76.33 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 76.98 | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 78.79 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 78.64 | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 78.54 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 78.54 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 78.69 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 78.84 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 78.74 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 78.74 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 78.64 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 78.54 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 78.39 | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 78.04 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 77.99 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 77.69 | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 77.49 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 77.49 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 77.04 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 76.94 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 76.84 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 76.64 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 76.58 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 76.58 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 76.43 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 76.03 | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 75.62 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 75.62 | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 75.42 | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 75.62 | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 75.37 | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 75.21 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 75.02 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 74.77 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 74.77 | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 74.61 | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 74.56 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 74.56 | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 74.46 | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 74.36 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 74.01 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 73.61 | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 73.8 | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 73.36 | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 73.26 | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 72.86 | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 72.6 | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 71.96 | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 71.36 | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 71.16 | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 71.11 | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 70.81 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 70.51 | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 69.95 | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 70.56 | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 70.21 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 70.21 | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 70.17 | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 69.92 | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 70.12 | -0.2% |
| 1961 | 70.27 | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 69.77 | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was United States’s Life expectancy in 1961?
70.27 (1961). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are United States’s Life expectancy figures nominal or inflation-adjusted?
They are exactly as the World Bank publishes them — years — with no inflation restatement and no PPP conversion. Years the source does not report are omitted rather than interpolated.
Is United States’s Life expectancy growing or shrinking?
Between 1960 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +13.1% in total — about 0.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 78.89; 2023: 78.39; 2022: 77.43; 2021: 76.33; 2020: 76.98. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SP.DYN.LE00.IN — Life Expectancy at Birth. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.