Life expectancy in the U.S. has fallen for several years in a row, representing the “longest sustained decline in expected lifespan since the tumultuous period of 1915 to 1918.” Comparing unfavorably to their counterparts in other high-income nations, Americans lead lives that are both shorter and less healthy, with a health disadvantage that “begins at birth and extends across the life course.”
Increased death rates in teens and younger adults are key drivers of the recent downward trend in U.S. life expectancy. Stated another way, Americans are not just “dying at a faster rate”—they are dying younger. As a Harvard researcher has stated, “We’re seeing the drop in life expectancy not because we’re hitting a cap [for lifespans of] people in their 80s, [but] because people are dying in their 20s [and] 30s.”
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