Life expectancy at an all-time high, CDC says
Life expectancy has hit an all-time high, the CDC tells us, reaching nearly 78 years in the United States.
The most recent data, from 2007, shows an increase from a life expectancy of 77.7 years in 2006 to 77.9 in 2007. Over a decade, life expectancy increased 1.4 years. Meanwhile, the CDC says, the death rate is down.
Life expectancy may go down this year because death rates are up already and because there are more elderly in the U.S.
The United States lags behind about 30 other countries in estimated life span, the Associated Press reports. Japan has the longest life expectancy — 83 years for children born in 2007, according to the World Health Organization.
Some more tidbits from this week's report:
* Life expectancy was a record for both males and females (75.3 years and 80.4 years, respectively). The gender gap has narrowed from a peak of 7.8 years in 1979.
* For the first time, life expectancy for black males reached 70 years.
* Between 2006 and 2007, mortality rates declined significantly for eight of the 15 leading causes of death. The largest declines were observed for influenza and pneumonia (8.4 percent), homicide (6.5 percent), accidents (5 percent) and heart disease (4.7 percent).
Photo/Baltimore Sun
