Women's Life Expectancy: US Lags Developed Nations

What We’re Showing

This graphic shows female life expectancy at birth (in years) across high-income countries. This data was compiled by The Commonwealth Fund.

Key Takeaways

• Female life expectancy in the U.S. is at least two years lower compared to other high-income countries, and seven years lower than Japan and South Korea
• Of the countries in the dataset, American women had the highest rate of avoidable deaths (i.e. deaths could have been prevented if the right prevention or treatment were provided at the right time)

More Details

• Life expectancy depends on factors like living standards, healthy lifestyles, education, and access to services
• 14% of U.S. women reported being uninsured in 2023
• There can also be big differences within nations. In the U.S., Black and Native American women have lower life expectancies compared to White, Asian, and Hispanic women