Life Expectancy is Up

ATLANTA – For the first time, U.S. life expectancy has surpassed 78 years, the government reported Wednesday, although the U.S. continues to lag behind about 30 other countries in estimated life span.

The increase is mainly attributed to falling mortality rates in almost all the leading causes of death, federal health officials said. The average life expectancy for babies born in 2006 was about four months greater than for children born in 2005.

Japan has the longest life expectancy – 83 years for children born in 2006, according to World Health Organization data. Switzerland and Australia were also near the top.

The estimate, released Wednesday, comes from the National Center for Health Statistics. It’s a preliminary report of 2006 numbers, based on data from more than 95 percent of death certificates collected that year.

Life expectancy is the period a child born in 2006 is expected to live, assuming mortality trends stay constant.

– Associated Press

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