U.S. Life Expectancy Hits Record High as Drug Overdose Deaths Decline in 2024

U.S. life expectancy at birth reached its highest level ever in 2024-79 years, according to final death data featured in two new reports from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

"Mortality in the United States: 2024" is the first public release of final mortality data for 2024. The death rate for the entire U.S. population decreased by almost 4%, from 750.5 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population in 2023, to 722.1 in 2024. As a result, life expectancy at birth for the U.S. population increased from 78.4 years in 2023 to 79 in 2024.

The 10 leading causes of death in 2024 were largely unchanged from 2023. The exceptions came at the bottom of the list-COVID-19 deaths dropped out of the 10 most common causes while deaths by suicide became the 10th leading cause of death in 2024. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, followed by cancer and unintentional injuries.

A second report released today, "Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2023-2024," marked a significant milestone. In 2024, the U.S. experienced the largest decline in drug overdose death rates ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set in 2018. Final mortality data showed that drug overdose death rates decreased, dropping 26.2% between 2023 and 2024, from 31.3 to 23.1 per 100,000. The official number of drug overdose deaths among residents in the United States for 2024 was 79,384.

Other Findings

• The infant mortality rate remained stable, with only a slight change from 560.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023 to 552.5 in 2024. Death rates for all other age groups, except 5-14 years, decreased.
• Death rates for all demographic subgroups decreased between 2023 and 2024, with the largest rate decreases occurring for younger age groups, Black non-Hispanic people, and males.
• The rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone-like fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and tramadol-decreased 35.6%, from 22.2 in 2023 to 14.3 in 2024.
• From 2023 to 2024, deaths involving cocaine decreased by 26.7% (from 8.6 to 6.3), and deaths involving psychostimulants like methamphetamine decreased by 19.8% (from 10.6 to 8.5).

The two reports are available on the NCHS website.