Life Expectancy in the United States Returns to PrePandemic Levels – an Update
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From 2019 to 2021, U.S. life expectancy at birth fell by roughly 2.45 years to the lowest level since 1996. Although life expectancy rose in 2022 and 2023, it did not fully return to its 2019 level. Now that 2024 death reports have stabilized, I constructed abridged life tables for 2019– 2024 using CDC WONDER Multiple Cause of Death mortality data and Census Bureau Vintage population estimates to assess recent trends. This is an update of a report posted on June 2, 2025.
In 2024, life expectancy at birth climbed by nearly 0.6 years over 2023 to 79.12 years, while life expectancy at age 65 increased by approximately 0.2 years to 19.87 years. These 2024 gains have almost offset the declines experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, US mortality continues to exceed that in other high-income countries.
