(NewsNation) — Life expectancy in the United States reached its highest level on record in 2024, according to a new report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
According to the report, the life expectancy for someone born in 2024 is 79, up from 78.4 in 2023 and the highest on record since the U.S. began tracking the data in 1900.
In 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy fell to just under 76.5 years. It has been rebounding ever since.
The increase in life expectancy coincides with a decrease in COVID-19 and overdose deaths.
The report revealed that COVID-19 deaths dropped out of the top 10 most common causes of death in 2024. The number of deaths for which COVID-19 was the underlying cause decreased approximately 37% from 49,932 in 2023 to 31,426 in 2024.
According to another report from the National Center for Health Statistics, age-adjusted overdose deaths decreased by 26.2% from 2023 to 2024, from 31.3 deaths per 100,000 standard population to 23.1.
Despite progress, the U.S. still ranks behind several developed countries in life expectancy.
NewsNation partner The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
