Life expectancy in the United States saw an increase in 2022, marking a rebound from the historic drops experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the current life expectancy of 77.5 years, an increase of 1.1 years from the previous year, still falls short of pre-pandemic levels. The rise in life expectancy was primarily driven by a significant drop in COVID-19 related mortality, which accounted for more than 84% of the positive contribution to the change in life expectancy in 2022.
In 2022, about 245,000 people died from COVID-19, a decrease from about 385,000 deaths in 2020 and more than 462,000 deaths in 2021. This decline in COVID-19 deaths was a key factor in driving the increase in life expectancy, with the disease falling to the fourth leading cause of death in the country. Other factors contributing to the increase include declines in deaths caused by heart disease, unintentional injuries, cancer, and homicide.
However, increases in mortality tied to causes such as influenza, pneumonia, perinatal conditions, and kidney disease offset the potential for a greater increase in life expectancy. Additionally, the number of U.S. suicides reached an all-time high last year, and drug overdose deaths also saw a slight increase.
Racial and ethnic disparities in life expectancy persisted, with American Indian and Alaska Native individuals having a life expectancy of 67.9 years, more than 16 years less than Asian Americans and roughly a decade less than white Americans. However, life expectancy increased the most among American Indian people with 2.3 years added in 2022. White people have a higher life expectancy than Black people in the US, but that gap has been narrowing over the past three decades.