Life expectancy rose to 77.5 years on average in 2022, a slight increase of 1.1 years from 2021, according to new studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Life expectancy at birth increased 1.1 years…largely because of decreases in mortality due to COVID-19, heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, and homicide,” the report stated.
Although life expectancy has slightly improved, it continues to remain below its peak of 78.9 years, occurring a decade ago. The U.S. life expectancy also falls behind other comparable countries.
Life expectancy varies by sex
For men, life expectancy increased 1.3 years from 73.5 in 2021 to 74.8 in 2022. For women, life expectancy increased 0.9 year from 79.3 in 2021 to 80.2 in 2022. That’s a 5.4 year age difference in life expectancy between men and women, according to the CDC.