Life expectancy in the United States rose to 79 years in 2024, the highest level in the country’s history, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday. The improvement reflects a combination of the fading impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and declining death rates from the nation’s leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, and drug overdoses.
Preliminary figures indicate that the upward trend has continued into 2025. “It’s pretty much good news all the way around,” said Robert Anderson of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
Life expectancy measures the average number of years a newborn can expect to live based on current death rates. In the United States, life expectancy had steadily risen for decades before peaking near 79 years in 2014. It remained relatively flat in the following years and then fell sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping to just under 76.5 years in 2021 after the virus claimed more than 1.2 million American lives. Since then, it has been steadily recovering.
Researchers highlight that the rebound also reflects progress in addressing the drug overdose epidemic. “The data show a lasting improvement in deaths from overdoses,” said Andrew Stokes, a researcher at Boston University. However, the United States still lags behind many other nations. Preliminary 2024 data show life expectancy at birth in the European Union is 81.7 years. “There’s a lot more to be done,” Stokes added.
In 2024, about 3.07 million Americans died, roughly 18,000 fewer than the previous year. Death rates fell across racial and ethnic groups and for both men and women. Heart disease remained the leading cause of death, but the rate dropped by around 3 percent for the second consecutive year, a trend attributed to advances in medical treatment and better weight management, according to Dr. Sadiya Khan of Northwestern University.
Deaths from unintentional injuries, a category that includes drug overdoses, fell the most, declining more than 14 percent in 2024. COVID-19, which had been the third leading cause of death in recent years, fell out of the top 10. Suicides entered the top 10 for the first time since the pandemic, though suicide rates also declined in 2024. Homicides decreased as well.
Preliminary data for 2025 suggest that around 3.05 million deaths have occurred, slightly lower than 2024, though the final number may rise as remaining death certificates are processed. Anderson said he expects 2025 to show at least a small improvement over the previous year.
The CDC report highlights a recovery from the pandemic and a gradual improvement in overall health trends, but experts note that the United States still faces significant challenges in closing the gap with other developed nations and reducing preventable deaths.
