Life expectation at birth by sex in United States

United States: Life expectation at birth by sex was 81.85 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
81.85
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
63rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.85
in 2023
All-time low
62.3
in 1934
Years of data
91
1933–2023

Life expectation at birth by sex in United States, 1933–2023

020406080193319782023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, life expectation at birth by sex in United States stood at 81.85. That is the highest value across all 91 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 0.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectation at birth by sex in United States peaked at 81.85 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 62.3, in 1934.

United States ranks 63rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 91 years of available data.

Life expectation at birth by sex in United States, year by year

Annual values for Life expectation at birth by sex in United States, 1933 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1933 62.8 —
1934 62.3 -0.8%
1935 63.05 +1.2%
1936 62.6 -0.7%
1937 63.35 +1.2%
1938 64.54 +1.9%
1939 65.24 +1.1%
1940 65.55 +0.5%
1941 66.26 +1.1%
1942 67.13 +1.3%
1943 66.96 -0.3%
1944 67.73 +1.1%
1945 68.35 +0.9%
1946 68.88 +0.8%
1947 69.55 +1.0%
1948 70.07 +0.7%
1949 70.52 +0.6%
1950 71.01 +0.7%
1951 71.22 +0.3%
1952 71.5 +0.4%
1953 71.91 +0.6%
1954 72.69 +1.1%
1955 72.8 +0.2%
1956 72.95 +0.2%
1957 72.75 -0.3%
1958 73 +0.3%
1959 73.31 +0.4%
1960 73.31 -0.0%
1961 73.71 +0.6%
1962 73.59 -0.2%
1963 73.5 -0.1%
1964 73.81 +0.4%
1965 73.94 +0.2%
1966 73.97 +0.0%
1967 74.33 +0.5%
1968 74.08 -0.3%
1969 74.4 +0.4%
1970 74.65 +0.3%
1971 74.97 +0.4%
1972 75.11 +0.2%
1973 75.32 +0.3%
1974 75.85 +0.7%
1975 76.46 +0.8%
1976 76.68 +0.3%
1977 77.09 +0.5%
1978 77.22 +0.2%
1979 77.66 +0.6%
1980 77.47 -0.2%
1981 77.8 +0.4%
1982 78.08 +0.4%
1983 78.08 +0.0%
1984 78.17 +0.1%
1985 78.17 +0.0%
1986 78.26 +0.1%
1987 78.35 +0.1%
1988 78.3 -0.1%
1989 78.56 +0.3%
1990 78.84 +0.4%
1991 78.97 +0.2%
1992 79.18 +0.3%
1993 78.93 -0.3%
1994 79.05 +0.2%
1995 79.08 +0.0%
1996 79.22 +0.2%
1997 79.38 +0.2%
1998 79.43 +0.1%
1999 79.35 -0.1%
2000 79.43 +0.1%
2001 79.52 +0.1%
2002 79.58 +0.1%
2003 79.7 +0.2%
2004 80.06 +0.4%
2005 80.07 +0.0%
2006 80.33 +0.3%
2007 80.56 +0.3%
2008 80.59 +0.0%
2009 80.9 +0.4%
2010 81.07 +0.2%
2011 81.07 -0.0%
2012 81.18 +0.1%
2013 81.19 +0.0%
2014 81.27 +0.1%
2015 81.15 -0.2%
2016 81.19 +0.1%
2017 81.18 -0.0%
2018 81.35 +0.2%
2019 81.47 +0.1%
2020 79.87 -2.0%
2021 79.36 -0.6%
2022 80.79 +1.8%
2023 81.85 +1.3%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 81.85 is below the median for high income countries, which is 83.13, 98% of the median. (85 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1930s 63.41 62.3 65.24 7
1940s 68.1 65.55 70.52 10
1950s 72.31 71.01 73.31 10
1960s 73.86 73.31 74.4 10
1970s 76.1 74.65 77.66 10
1980s 78.13 77.47 78.56 10
1990s 79.14 78.84 79.43 10
2000s 80.07 79.43 80.9 10
2010s 81.21 81.07 81.47 10
2020s 80.47 79.36 81.85 4

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 60 Bahrain 81.99 compare
  2. 61 Uruguay 81.92 compare
  3. 62 Oman 81.88 compare
  4. 64 Kuwait 81.85 compare
  5. 65 Jersey 81.76 compare
  6. 66 Croatia 81.69 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectation at birth by sex in United States?
Life expectation at birth by sex in United States was 81.85 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectation at birth by sex recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 81.85 in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectation at birth by sex recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 62.3 in 1934.
How does United States rank for life expectation at birth by sex?
United States ranks 63rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectation at birth by sex rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectation at birth by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectation at birth by sex in United States. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectation-at-birth-by-sex/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectation at birth by sex
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 18,722 data points, 1751–2023
Last refreshed