In an analysis of life expectancy of the population of English-speaking countries, Americans came last.
According to a study led by social scientists at Pennsylvania State University, citizens of Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand have had, on average, a higher life expectancy since the early 1990s.
Life expectancy at birth is lowest in the United States: in 2019, men reached an average age of 76.5 years and women reached an average life expectancy of almost 81.5 years.
In Australia, the country with the highest life expectancy, women lived almost four years longer and men five years longer than in America.
However, it depends on where you live in the US. According to the report, people in California and Hawaii have a much higher life expectancy: women live to an average age of 83 to 83.9 years, men 77.5 to 78.4 years.
In the southeastern United States, this statistic drops to an average of 72.6 to 79.9 years for women and 69.3 to 74.4 years for men.
“One lesson we Americans can learn about life expectancy by looking at comparable countries is where the frontier of best performance lies,” said Jessica Ho, associate professor of sociology and demography at Pennsylvania State University and lead author of the study.
“Yes, we are doing poorly, but this study shows what goals we can pursue. We know that these increases in life expectancy are actually achievable because other large countries have already done so.”
The researchers used data from the Human Mortality Database and the World Health Organization’s Mortality Database from 1990 to 2019.
“One of the main reasons life expectancy in America is so much lower than in other high-income countries is that our young people are dying more often from largely preventable causes of death, such as drug overdoses, car accidents and homicide,” Ho explained.
They believe that the main causes of mortality in midlife – that is, between the ages of 45 and 64 – include drugs and alcohol, as well as higher death rates from cardiovascular disease.
“Some of the latter may be related to a sedentary lifestyle, high obesity rates, unhealthy diet, stress and a history of smoking,” Ho said on Penn State’s website. “It is likely that these patterns of unhealthy behaviors put Americans at a disadvantage in terms of their health and vitality.”
“The study shows that a comparable country like Australia far outperformed the United States in bringing young adult mortality rates under control. There are very few firearm deaths and homicides, less drug and alcohol use, and a better record of chronic diseases, reflecting lifestyle factors, health behaviors and health care performance,” she added.
