It’s no secret that women tend to live longer than men. It’s a trend that repeats itself in countries around the world, and even in various animal species.
Still, the latest data on gender-based differences in U.S. life expectancy are striking. U.S. women now live almost six full years longer than men—79.3 years, compared to 73.5 among men—according to a study published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The main drivers of that trend seem to be COVID-19 and drug overdoses, which are two of the country’s leading causes of death and kill men more often than women, according to the report’s authors. And while the study's data went only through 2021, both remain major public-health issues that may influence life expectancy estimates for years to come.
