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Fact Sheet
Life Expectancy Hits Record HighGender Gap Narrows Life expectancy for Americans has reached an all-time high, according to the latest U.S. mortality statistics released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, "Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2003," prepared by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), shows life expectancy at 77.6 years in 2003, up from 77.3 in 2002. The gap between male and female life expectancy closed from 5.4 years in 2002 to 5.3 years in 2003, continuing a trend toward narrowing since the peak gap of 7.8 years in 1979. Record-high life expectancies were found for white males (75.4 years) and black males (69.2 males), as well as for white females (80.5 years) and black females (76.1 years). Other findings in the report include:
The report is based on data recorded from approximately 93 percent of
state death certificates issued in 2003. "Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2003"
is available at the www.cdc.gov/nchs. |
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Contact Us This page last updated February 28, 2005 United
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