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Why Americans are living longer again
vox.com • • health
Key Points:
- The US death rate in 2025 reached a historic low of 689.2 deaths per 100,000 people, the lowest since organized records began over 125 years ago, signaling a likely new record high in life expectancy at 79 years.
- A significant factor in this improvement is the dramatic decline in drug overdose deaths, which fell nearly 40% from 2023 to 2025, alongside decreases in homicides and COVID-19 fatalities.
- Advances in public health over the past century, including sanitation, vaccines, and antibiotics, have contributed to a 29-year gain in life expectancy, while recent medical innovations like GLP-1 drugs are helping reduce obesity and related diseases.
- Despite progress, the US still lags behind other wealthy nations in life expectancy by nearly four years, with substantial disparities within the country based on geography, income, and education levels.
- Ongoing challenges remain from causes like guns, alcohol, and metabolic diseases, but the US shows promise in extending healthy life years through existing and emerging medical tools.
