Life expectancy at birth for the U.S. population increased to 79.0 years in 2024, its highest level ever, and an uptick of 0.6 year from 2023, according to final death data featured in two new reports released Jan. 29 from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
“Mortality in the United States: 2024” is the first public release of final mortality data for 2024. The death rate for the entire U.S. population decreased by almost 4%, from 750.5 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population in 2023, to 722.1 in 2024. As a result, life expectancy at birth for the U.S. population increased from 78.4 years in 2023 to 79 in 2024.
For females, life expectancy increased 0.3 year from 81.1 in 2023 to 81.4 in 2024. For males, life expectancy increased 0.7 year from 75.8 in 2023 to 76.5 in 2024. In 2024, the difference in life expectancy between females and males was 4.9 years, a decrease of 0.4 year from 2023.
Average 65-year-old will live to 85
Those retiring at age 65 in 2024 can expect to live for nearly 20 years in retirement, according to the new report.
In 2024, life expectancy at age 65 for the total population was 19.7 years, an increase of 0.2 year from 2023. For females, life expectancy at age 65 increased 0.1 year from 20.7 in 2023 to 20.8 in 2024. For males, life expectancy at age 65 increased 0.2 year from 18.2 in 2023 to 18.4 in 2024. The difference in life expectancy at age 65 between females and males was 2.4 years in 2024, a decrease of 0.1 year from 2023.
Assumptions about life expectancy can make a dramatic difference in retirement strategies, including when to start collecting Social Security. People who underestimate their life expectancy could save too little for retirement and risk running out of money (which most people say they fear more than death), while people who overestimate how long they’ll live might stay in the workforce longer than they need to or spend less money in retirement than they could.
Back in 2020, the Society of Actuaries reported that half of consumers misestimate their life expectancy by 5 or more years, with 23% overestimating and 28% underestimating.
Sound retirement decision-making depends on having a clear understanding of life expectancy and longevity risk, so individuals can save, invest, and draw down assets responsibly without running out of money later in life. However, it remains unclear how well people grasp these factors and whether better information about survival risks actually changes behavior. Surveys have found that many individuals do estimate their own survival probabilities accurately, but providing longevity information can further improve their decision-making.
COVID-19 no longer a Top 10 killer
The increases in life expectancy result from the dissipation of the COVID-19 pandemic in conjunction with retreating death rates from all the nation’s top killers, including heart disease, cancer and drug overdoses. The report shows suicide replaced COVID-19 as the 10th leading cause of death, and heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries remained the top three leading causes of death in 2024.
The second report, “Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2023–2024,” shows that in 2024, the U.S. experienced the largest decline in drug overdose death rates ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set in 2018. Final mortality data showed that drug overdose death rates decreased, dropping 26.2% between 2023 and 2024, from 31.3 to 23.1 per 100,000. The official number of drug overdose deaths among residents in the United States for 2024 was 79,384.
In 2024, a total of 3,072,666 resident deaths were registered in the United States—18,298 fewer deaths than in 2023.
Life expectancy rebounding but still lags peer countries
Historically, U.S. life expectancy rose slightly almost every year as a result of medical advances and public health measures. It peaked in 2014, just shy of 79 years, and remained relatively flat until plunging in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that killed more than 1.2 million Americans.
In 2021, life expectancy at birth fell to 76.1 years, declining by 0.9 year from 77.0 in 2020. In 2022, life expectancy started to rebound in the U.S., increasing to 77.5 years and rose again to 78.4 years in 2023.
While the 2024 figure of 79.0 is a record, U.S. life expectancy still falls far short of many other nations, with the lowest life expectancy among large, wealthy countries despite significantly outspending its peers on healthcare. Research shows substance abuse, homicide, suicide, and accidents all significantly more common in the United States compared to peer countries.
While there are a wide range of different published life expectancy estimates, many put the rich and tiny tax haven enclave of Monaco at the top of the list with a life expectancy topping 86.5 years. Japan (85.15) and South Korea (84.64) also crack the top five while the U.S. ranks a distant 61st with a life expectancy of 79.76 according to data based on the latest United Nations Population Division estimates.
Access the full CDC report, “Mortality in the United States, 2024,” at this link.
SEE ALSO:
• CDC: Life Expectancy Increased in 2022
• Startling Findings from New CDC Life Expectancy Report
• Running Out of Money Scarier than Death for Most Americans
• Problem—We’re Really Bad at Guessing When We’ll Die