US “Life Expectancy” Drops; CDC Cites Suicides, Drug Overdoses, As Causal Factors

Life expectancy, defined as the average number of years a person born in any given year is expected to live, has fallen in the United States, according to the newest reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) in Atlanta, GA. (The World Health Organization defines life expectancy as the "average number of years that a newborn is expected to live if current mortality rates continue to apply.")

The average lifespan has fallen slightly for the second year in a row for both American males and females. That average lifespan in America is now 78.6 years, based on data available through 2017. Male lifespans dropped marginally from 76.2 (2016) to 76.1 years; while females, who generally live longer, show no significant change at 81.1 years.