Life Expectancy in the U.S. vs. Other Developed Nations: Why the Gap Persists
The U.S. Still Trails Comparable Wealthy Countries in Life Expectancy
In 2024, U.S. life expectancy at birth reached 79.0 years, compared with an 82.7-year unweighted average across 11 similarly large and wealthy OECD peer countries. The difference was about 3.7 years.
Higher premature mortality from chronic disease, substance use and injuries, together with less favorable results on several OECD-wide mortality and risk indicators, help explain why U.S. longevity remains lower despite much higher healthcare spending.
This comparison uses the 11-country peer group defined by Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker rather than every country that might be described as developed. The table is a compiled research dataset based on OECD Health Statistics and final CDC/NCHS data. Coverage: 12 countries including the United States. Unit: years of life expectancy at birth. Direction: higher values rank higher. Ranking-row status: 12 official_value; 0 calculated_value; 0 official_forecast; 0 modeled_projection; 0 industry_observed_value. The peer average and U.S. gap are calculated summary metrics outside the ranking rows.
Final CDC/NCHS life expectancy at birth for 2024.
Simple unweighted arithmetic mean of the 11 published 2024 peer-country values.
82.6545 peer-average years minus the final U.S. value of 79.0.
Switzerland has the highest 2024 value among the 12 countries shown.
2024 · OECD Health Statistics + CDC/NCHS · 12 official_value rows · all other ranking-row statuses: 0.
Overview: Why the U.S. Remains Behind Its Wealthy Peers
U.S. mortality remains less favorable across several important categories, especially before old age. Deaths in young and middle adulthood have a particularly large effect on period life expectancy because they remove more potential years of life.
Premature chronic-disease mortality
Historical peer-country analysis shows substantial excess U.S. premature mortality from cardiovascular, chronic respiratory and kidney diseases.
Preventable and treatable mortality
The latest OECD U.S. profile reports higher preventable and treatable mortality than the OECD-wide average, indicating room for both prevention and timely effective care.
Substance use and injuries
Overdose mortality fell sharply in 2024, but substance-related and injury deaths have been important contributors to excess mortality at younger ages.
Population-health risks
Higher obesity and insufficient physical activity coexist with favorable indicators such as lower daily smoking than the OECD-wide average, showing that no single behavior explains the gap.
Year logic: all life-expectancy rows use 2024 values. Supporting indicators used to explain the gap come from the latest available OECD, CDC and KFF evidence and may refer to different observation years. They are contextual evidence and are not inputs into the ranking.
Why the U.S. Life-Expectancy Gap Persists
1. More premature deaths from chronic disease
In Peterson-KFF’s decomposition of 2021 mortality, the U.S. premature death rate among people under age 70 was 408 deaths per 100,000, compared with 228 per 100,000 across the same 11-country peer group. Cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and chronic kidney disease together accounted for about 32% of the difference in premature death rates.
This 32% figure describes the 2021 premature-mortality-rate difference. It does not mean these conditions explain 32% of the 2024 life-expectancy gap.
2. Higher preventable and treatable mortality
OECD Health at a Glance 2025 reports U.S. preventable mortality at 217 deaths per 100,000, compared with an OECD-wide average of 145. Treatable mortality was 95 per 100,000, compared with an OECD-wide average of 77.
These are OECD-wide benchmarks, not averages for the 11-country peer group used in the life-expectancy table.
3. Substance use and injury mortality
Final CDC data show that the U.S. age-adjusted drug-overdose death rate fell 26.2% from 2023 to 2024, from 31.3 to 23.1 deaths per 100,000. The improvement was substantial, but unintentional injuries remained the third-leading cause of U.S. death in 2024.
In the KFF 2021 peer decomposition, substance-use deaths accounted for 12% of the difference in premature death rates. That historical share is not applied to the 2024 life-expectancy gap.
4. Chronic-disease risks remain elevated
OECD’s latest U.S. profile reports self-reported obesity at 35%, compared with a 19% OECD-wide average, and insufficient physical activity at 36%, compared with 30%. Separate measured CDC data put obesity prevalence among U.S. adults age 20 and older at 40.3% during August 2021–August 2023.
OECD and CDC obesity estimates use different methods and should not be treated as interchangeable. These risk indicators do not quantify an exact share of the 3.7-year gap.
The pattern is mixed rather than uniformly unfavorable. OECD reports daily smoking prevalence of 8.0% in the United States, below the OECD-wide average of 14.8%.
Healthcare spending does not translate directly into life expectancy
OECD reports U.S. health spending of about $14,885 per person on a purchasing-power-adjusted basis, compared with an OECD-wide average of $5,967. Health spending represented 17.2% of U.S. GDP versus 9.3% across the OECD. These benchmarks use the full OECD rather than the 11-country peer average.
Medical prices, prevention, access to timely care, population risk factors and wider social conditions all influence longevity, so higher healthcare spending alone does not imply longer population life expectancy.
Why deaths at younger ages matter
Period life expectancy is particularly sensitive to mortality at younger ages. Excess deaths from chronic disease, substance use, homicide and injuries in young and middle adulthood can therefore reduce national life expectancy disproportionately.
The recent U.S. trend has improved
Final CDC data show that life expectancy rose from 78.4 years in 2023 to 79.0 in 2024. Lower mortality from unintentional injuries, COVID-19, heart disease, cancer and homicide contributed to that increase.
Provisional CDC data for 2025 subsequently showed a 4.6% decline in the overall age-adjusted U.S. death rate from 2024. These provisional mortality data are not converted into a synthetic 2025 life-expectancy value on this page.
How the U.S. Compares With Wealthy Peer Countries
Switzerland records the highest 2024 life expectancy in this defined comparison at 84.2 years, followed by Japan at 84.1 and Sweden at 83.8. The United States is outside the ten highest values and appears in the full 12-country table below.
10 highest 2024 life-expectancy values in the defined 12-country comparison
| Rank | Entity | Value | Source / method note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 84.2 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 2 | Japan | 84.1 years | official_value; OECD-published 2024 estimate marked “E”; not a future forecast. |
| 3 | Sweden | 83.8 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 4= | Australia | 83.0 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024; tied with France. |
| 4= | France | 83.0 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024; tied with Australia. |
| 6 | Belgium | 82.4 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 7 | Canada | 82.2 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 8 | Austria | 82.1 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 9 | Netherlands | 81.9 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 81.3 years | official_value; OECD-published 2024 estimate marked “E”; not a future forecast. |
Equal published values share the same competition rank. This is a supporting peer comparison, not a ranking of every OECD or developed economy.
Chart: 2024 Life Expectancy Across the 12-Country Comparison
The chart uses the same raw values as the main table. Bars start from zero so relatively small differences are not exaggerated by a truncated baseline.
Methodology
This is a compiled research dataset using OECD Health Statistics for internationally comparable peer-country values and final CDC/NCHS data for the United States. The metric is period life expectancy at birth for both sexes, measured in years. It summarizes mortality conditions in a given period and is not a forecast of how long a specific newborn will actually live.
Coverage
The United States plus the 11 similarly large and wealthy OECD countries used by Peterson-KFF: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Target year and unit
All ranking rows target 2024. Unit: years of life expectancy at birth. No older country value is substituted into the table.
Source hierarchy
Final CDC/NCHS mortality data are used for the United States. OECD Health Statistics supplies the peer-country values and independently reports the same 79.0-year U.S. value.
Official estimates
OECD marks the 2024 Japan and United Kingdom values with “E”. They remain officially published 2024 values but are identified as OECD estimates rather than future forecasts.
2024 Life Expectancy Comparison: United States and 11 Peer Countries
The full table contains 12 confirmed 2024 values. Search by country, filter by numeric source or status, change the sort order, or show only the ten highest values.
12 entries shown.
Life expectancy at birth, both sexes, 2024
| Rank | Entity | Value | Source / method note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 84.2 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 2 | Japan | 84.1 years | official_value; OECD-published 2024 estimate marked “E”; officially published value; not a future forecast. |
| 3 | Sweden | 83.8 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 4= | Australia | 83.0 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024; tied with France. |
| 4= | France | 83.0 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024; tied with Australia. |
| 6 | Belgium | 82.4 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 7 | Canada | 82.2 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 8 | Austria | 82.1 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 9 | Netherlands | 81.9 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024. |
| 10 | United Kingdom | 81.3 years | official_value; OECD-published 2024 estimate marked “E”; officially published value; not a future forecast. |
| 11 | Germany | 81.2 years | official_value; OECD Health Statistics; source year 2024; target year 2024; lowest non-U.S. peer value. |
| 12 | United States | 79.0 years | official_value; CDC/NCHS final 2024 data; target year 2024; OECD independently reports the same 79.0-year value. |
This compiled research dataset uses OECD Health Statistics for peer-country values and final CDC/NCHS data for the United States. All ranking rows target 2024. Japan and the United Kingdom are OECD-published estimates marked “E”. No future projections are included.
Insights From the 2024 Comparison
Key insight
Germany, the lowest non-U.S. peer in the table, still exceeds U.S. life expectancy by 2.2 years.
Notable pattern
All 11 peer countries exceed 81 years of life expectancy, while the United States remains at 79.0.
Coverage concentration
Eight of the 12 countries in this selected comparison are European. The dataset is a peer benchmark rather than a geographically balanced global ranking.
Outlier
The United States is the only country in the defined comparison below 80 years of life expectancy in 2024.
What the Comparison Means
The gap summarizes mortality differences across ages and causes; it is not the effect of a single healthcare policy or risk factor. The country values provide a comparable 2024 baseline, while earlier cause-specific evidence helps explain documented sources of excess U.S. mortality.
The country rows are official published values, while the 82.7-year peer average and 3.7-year U.S. difference are calculated summary metrics based on the disclosed formulas and the simple unweighted peer benchmark.
Provisional 2025 U.S. mortality data indicate continued improvement in mortality conditions, but they are not directly comparable with a complete 2025 life-expectancy series for all countries in this peer set. The ranking therefore remains anchored to 2024.
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Download Excel + CSV Data PackFAQ
What was U.S. life expectancy in 2024?
Final CDC/NCHS data put U.S. life expectancy at birth at 79.0 years in 2024, up from 78.4 years in 2023.
How large is the U.S. life-expectancy gap with comparable wealthy countries?
The unweighted peer average is 82.7 years, about 3.7 years above the 79.0-year U.S. value.
Does this table include every developed country?
No. The comparison uses the 11 similarly large and wealthy OECD countries selected by Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, plus the United States. It is not intended to represent every OECD or developed economy.
Why is U.S. life expectancy lower?
Evidence points to multiple factors, including higher premature chronic-disease mortality, preventable and treatable mortality, substance-related deaths, injuries and less favorable levels of some population-health risks. No single factor explains the entire gap.
Does high U.S. healthcare spending contradict the life-expectancy result?
No. Healthcare spending reflects medical prices, utilization and system organization, while population longevity also depends on prevention, timely care, chronic disease, injuries, substance use and wider social conditions.
Which figures are published values and which are calculated?
All 12 country rows use official_value data published by CDC/NCHS or OECD Health Statistics. OECD marks Japan and the United Kingdom with an “E” estimate flag for 2024. The 82.7-year peer average and 3.7-year gap are calculated_value summary metrics derived from the disclosed country inputs and formulas.
Why are some explanatory statistics from years earlier than 2024?
Cause-specific international mortality analyses are released with a lag. Earlier evidence is used only to explain documented mechanisms, while every country value in the life-expectancy comparison itself targets 2024.
Do provisional 2025 U.S. mortality improvements mean life expectancy is already higher?
They indicate improving mortality conditions, but this page does not convert provisional death rates into a synthetic life-expectancy figure. The comparison remains based on the harmonized 2024 country values shown in the table.
Sources
Sources for this compiled research dataset are listed below. OECD Health Statistics and CDC/NCHS provide the ranking values; Peterson-KFF and additional OECD/CDC publications provide contextual evidence used to explain the mortality gap.
OECD Data Explorer — Life expectancy, 2024
Primary official source for the internationally comparable 2024 life-expectancy values used for peer-country rows and for cross-checking the U.S. value.
CDC/NCHS — Mortality in the United States, 2024
Primary U.S. source for final 2024 life expectancy, the increase from 2023 and changes in leading causes of death.
CDC/NCHS — United States Life Tables, 2024
Final period life tables for the U.S. population in 2024, including life expectancy by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin.
Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker — U.S. life expectancy comparison
Source for the definition of the 11 similarly large and wealthy OECD peer countries and an independent check of the 2024 peer average and U.S. gap.
https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-life-expectancy-compare-countries/
Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker — Drivers of the life-expectancy gap
Historical cause-specific analysis through 2021, including premature mortality and the contribution of cardiovascular, respiratory and kidney diseases to the peer mortality difference.
OECD Health at a Glance 2025 — United States
Source for OECD-wide comparisons of preventable mortality, treatable mortality, smoking, physical activity, self-reported obesity and health spending.
CDC/NCHS — Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2023–2024
Final source for the decline in the age-adjusted drug-overdose death rate from 31.3 to 23.1 per 100,000 between 2023 and 2024.
CDC/NCHS — Obesity prevalence in U.S. adults
Measured-height-and-weight NHANES source for the 40.3% obesity prevalence among adults age 20 and older during August 2021–August 2023.
CDC/NCHS — Provisional U.S. mortality, 2025
Context source for the provisional 4.6% decline in the U.S. age-adjusted death rate in 2025. It is not used to create a 2025 life-expectancy value.
