Life expectancy at birth, total in United States
United States: Life expectancy at birth, total was 78.39 years in 2023. β² Rising
Life expectancy at birth, total in United States, 1970β2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, total in United States is 78.39 years, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in United States peaked at 78.84 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 70.81 years, in 1970.
That places United States 61st out of 212 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 77.28 years | 76.33 years | 78.39 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More population data for United States
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.129 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 19.91 million (2100)
- Population density 46.05 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.129 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 1.63 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 435,333 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 1.63 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 1.63 (2024)
- Natural population growth 0.1985 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 1.62 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in United States?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in United States was 78.39 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 78.84 years in 2014.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.81 years in 1970.
- How does United States rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- United States ranks 61st out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release