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U.S. life expectancy reached a record high

U.S. life expectancy at birth reached 79.0 years in 2024 — the highest level recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS), and up from 78.4 in 2023.

Even better: A more useful long-run check is how long people live after childhood. The chart below shows expected age at death from life expectancy at age 15.

Expected age at death if alive at 15, selected years A line chart on a linear year scale showing expected age at death for people who reach age 15, rising from 61.8 around 1900 to 79.6 in 2024, with a pandemic-era dip to 77.0 in 2021. 55 65 75 85 pandemic-era dip 61.8 72.3 77.6 79.5 77.0 79.6 1900 1960 2000 2019 2021 2024
Expected age at death if alive at 15 (15 + remaining life expectancy at age 15). 1960 point is 1959–61. Sources: historical U.S. life tables (1900); U.S. Decennial Life Tables, 1959–61; United States Life Tables, 2000, 2019, 2021, and 2024.

Related context: CDC/NCHS release on the 2024 record high and United States Life Tables, 2024.

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Worth knowing

  • Life expectancy is a period measure: it summarizes mortality rates in a given year, not a forecast for any one person.
  • This is a broad population measure, not a claim that every group improved equally.
  • The chart shows expected age at death for people who reach age 15, not life expectancy at birth.