Good news: Americans are living longer. Bad news: We’re still lagging behind much of the developed world. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the life expectancy in the US rose to 79 years old in 2024, the highest it’s ever been. The “Mortality in the United States: 2024” report revealed there was a nearly 4% drop in deaths and that American lifespans improved for both males and females. But when compared side-by-side with many other nations, the stats aren’t nearly as impressive.
“It’s pretty much good news all the way around,” Robert Anderson of the National Center for Health Statistics at CDC told the AP. Life expectancy is a way to measure a population’s health. It assesses the expected time a person can live from birth to death. Each year in the US, the age increased or remained flat except during COVID-19, where it dropped to 76 ½ years in 2021.
About 3.07 million Americans died in 2024, which is about 18,000 fewer than the year before. Heart disease was the nation’s leading cause, as it has been for years; however, the death rate for this disease dropped by around 3% for the second year in a row. Dr. Sadiya Khan, who treats and studies heart disease at Northwestern University, told the AP that multiple factors, such as advances in medical treatments and weight management, likely contribute.
The second leading cause of death was cancer, followed by unintentional injuries, which include drug overdoses. The top ten leading causes accounted for 70.9% of all deaths in the US, the report explained. Nine of the top ten stayed the same, but COVID, which was the nation’s number three killer a few years ago, dropped out of the list and was replaced by suicide.
All the leading causes of death dropped in 2024. Unintentional injuries fell by 14.4%, kidney disease dropped by 3.8%, diabetes decreased by 3.1%, chronic lower respiratory disease lowered by 3%, heart disease and suicide both declined by 2.8%, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis fell by 2.%, Alzheimer’s disease dropped by 2.2%, cancer fell 1.7%, and death by stroke decreased 1%.
Drug use and overdose have been a big concern in America for decades. The war on drugs has been going on for what seems like forever, so it’s nice to see that overdose deaths have declined as well. According to the “Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2023–2024” report that was also released this month, “The national age-adjusted drug overdose death rate decreased by 26.2% between 2023 and 2024. This decrease was the largest percentage drop across the 2014–2024 period and continues a period of decline that began in 2022. Rates decreased between 2023 and 2024 for all examined subgroups by sex, age, and race and Hispanic origin, as well as by drug type.”
While it’s good news that life expectancy in the US has increased, America is still far behind others. In fact, according to Worldometer’s website, the United States ranks 61 out of a list of 232 locales. Monaco placed number 1 with a life expectancy of 86.73, and coming in last place was Nigeria at 51.5. Some of the others who beat out the US include Hong Kong and Japan, which came in at third and fourth, respectively, with an expected lifespan of 85, Australia at 84, Sweden, France, and Canada at 83, and Germany and the United Kingdom at 81.
The Commonwealth Fund noted in 2023 that “Americans are more likely to die younger, and from avoidable causes, than residents of peer countries.” Furthermore: “The U.S. spends nearly 18 percent of GDP on health care, yet Americans die younger and are less healthy than residents of other high-income countries.”
“Not only does the U.S. have the lowest life expectancy among high-income countries, but it also has the highest rates of avoidable deaths.”
Here are a few “highlights” the article pointed out when the US is compared to other comparable peer countries:
Health System Tracker explained that in 2021, America’s premature death rate was nearly twice the average of other comparable large and wealthy countries. “Another 12% of the difference between the US and its peers’ premature death rates is due to substance use, which caused 29 deaths per 100,000 people under age 70 in the U.S. in 2021.”
It’s good to see the increase in life expectancy for Americans, but it’s also troubling to realize how far behind we are compared to other countries. As one of the wealthiest nations with an abundance of resources, the US should be leading the pack, with its citizens enjoying a healthier and longer lifespan.
.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
.jpg&w=1920&q=75)
