In 2023, life expectancy in the U.S. showed a notable increase, reflecting a recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), death rates dropped across most leading causes, including COVID-19, heart disease, and drug overdoses. This resulted in an approximate one-year increase in the average lifespan of Americans. While experts attribute this improvement to the ongoing post-pandemic recovery, they note that life expectancy has not yet fully rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, and the pace of improvement seems to be slowing.
Last year, nearly 3.1 million people in the U.S. died, a significant reduction of 189,000 from the year before. This decline in deaths was observed across various racial and ethnic groups, as well as in both genders. Early data for 2024 suggests a continued decline in death rates, with an estimated 13,000 fewer deaths expected this year. However, this number may change as additional death certificates are processed. While life expectancy is likely to see a modest rise in 2024, it is not expected to increase significantly.
Life expectancy, which represents the average number of years a newborn is expected to live based on current death rates, is a crucial measure of public health. After years of steady increases, U.S. life expectancy peaked at nearly 79 years in 2014. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp drop, bringing it down to just under 76.5 years in 2021. Since then, it has shown signs of recovery, rising to 77.5 years in 2022 and reaching nearly 78.5 years in 2023. Women continue to have a higher life expectancy than men, with an average of just over 81 years compared to just under 76 years for men.
The toll of COVID-19 on U.S. mortality has been substantial, with over 1.2 million deaths attributed to the virus over the past five years. However, the majority of these deaths occurred in 2020 and 2021, before widespread immunity from vaccinations and prior infections. In 2023, COVID-19 became the 10th leading cause of death, contributing to approximately 50,000 fatalities. Preliminary data for 2024 shows that around 30,000 COVID-19-related deaths have occurred so far, and some experts suggest that suicide may overtake COVID-19 as a leading cause of death this year.
In addition to the reduction in COVID-19 deaths, the U.S. saw a decline in deaths from heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death in the country. In 2023, heart disease death rates dropped by about 3%, a smaller decrease compared to the dramatic 73% decline in COVID-19 deaths. Overdose deaths also showed a positive trend, falling to 105,000 in 2023. While the reasons behind this decline are still being researched, there is optimism that overdose deaths will continue to decrease, particularly as surveys indicate that drug use among teenagers has not increased. Experts believe that reducing the number of new drug users is key to curbing the long-term impact of drug overdoses.
