The overall mortality rate in the United States declined markedly over the 20th century, resulting in large gains in life expectancy. In 1900, the average U.S. newborn could expect to live to 47.3 years of age. In 2010, they could expect more than 30 additional years of life, with a life expectancy at birth of 78.7. In 1900, the top 3 causes of death were infectious diseases—pneumonia and flu, tuberculosis, and gastrointestinal infections (a fourth infectious disease, diphtheria, was the 10th leading cause of death). Improvements in sanitation, public health (vaccination development and delivery), and medical treatments, such as antibiotics, led to dramatic declines in deaths from infectious diseases during the 20th century. As the impact of these diseases has been reduced or eliminated, mortality rates from other causes, especially chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, have increased, and new diseases, such as noninfectious airways diseases, diabetes, and suicide, are now among the top 10 causes of death.  Click on an image to examine trends in leading causes of death in 1900 versus 2010: Writing about the changing burden of diseases in the 200th anniversary issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors David Jones, Scott Podolsky, and Jeremy Greene note that, throughout the 20th century, “Optimism about prospects for the health of future populations persisted but remained tempered by concern about the pathologies of civilization.” In addition to the emergence of new diseases and public health challenges, such as HIV/AIDS and obesity, old challenges persist. Although mortality from infectious diseases declined dramatically, the emergence of chronic (HIV/AIDS) and drug resistant (TB) infectious diseases reminds us that infectious diseases are “volatile” by nature and highlights the importance of being “vigilant over the threats posed by microbes.” In spite of the changing nature of disease, health inequalities in disease burden and mortality persist. Jones and colleagues remind us that these disparities are challenges to both “our scientific knowledge and political will.”
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available. On the journey of life, the commuting time for each of us is different. Life expectancy—an indicator widely used to explore the general health of a population—is an estimate of the average number of years someone is expected to live from birth or another age, based on death rates calculated for a specific period. Obviously, this is just an average; not everyone will live for precisely the expected length of time. Those who live longer than their life expectancy have often benefited from developments that extend life, such as advancements in the treatment and prevention of disease. Life expectancy in Canada has greatly improved since the early 20th century. The life expectancy at birth for men has increased by 20.5 years, from 58.8 years in 1920–1922 to 79.3 years in 2009–2011. During the same period, the life expectancy of women increased by 23.0 years, from 60.6 years to 83.6 years. Life expectancy has historically been lower for men than for women. While the gap was small in 1920–1922 (1.8 years), it reached a high of 7.3 years in 1975–1977 and narrowed to 4.3 years in 2009–2011. The widening of the gap was partly the result of fewer women dying during childbirth. The narrowing was related to the decline in deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases, which generally affect men more than women. Lower life expectancy at birth during the early 20th century was, in part, a reflection of high levels of infant mortality. About 1 in 10 Canadian babies died within the first year of life in 1921, compared with about 1 in 200 in 2011.
The large gains that Canadians experienced in life expectancy at birth were accompanied by smaller gains in life expectancy at other ages. In 1920–1922, one-year-old boys were expected to live until age 64.7 and one-year-old girls until age 65.3. This was higher than life expectancy at birth by 5.8 years for men and 4.7 years for women. This difference decreased to less than half a year by 2009–2011 as a result of the large reduction in infant mortality. Overall, from 1920–1922 to 2009–2011, the life expectancy of one-year old boys increased by 15.0 years and the life expectancy of one-year-old girls increased by 18.6 years.
In 1920–1922, Canadian men who had lived to age 65 could expect to live for 13 more years, and women could expect to live for 13.5 more years (to age 78.0 and 78.5 respectively). The expected total life span of 65-year-olds was substantially higher than life expectancy at birth: 19.2 years higher for men and 18.0 years higher for women. In 2009–2011, 65-year-old men were expected to live until they were 83.8, while 65-year-old women were expected to live until the age of 86.7. This means that from 1920–1922 to 2009–2011, the life expectancies of 65-year-olds increased by 5.8 years for men and 8.2 years for women. This is a much smaller gain than the 20-year increase in life expectancy for newborns during this same period. Most of the gains in life expectancy from 1920–1922 to 2009–2011 were attributable to the prevention of death among younger people. For example, childhood immunization against infectious diseases helped to reduce death at early ages. Health awareness campaigns and associated legislation aimed at preventing injury, such as mandatory seat-belt use, also helped to prevent deaths across a broad age range. People aged 65 and older have experienced modest gains in life expectancy, in part because of advancements in the prevention and treatment of circulatory diseases and, more recently, the treatment of cancer. Life expectancy: Average number of years an individual could be expected to live, based on current patterns of mortality. This indicator reflects environmental conditions in a country, the health of its people, the quality of care they receive when they are sick, and their living conditions. Expected years of life: Sum of the age reached and the life expectancy for that age. Cutler, D. M., and E. Meara. 2001. “Changes in the Age Distribution of Mortality over the 20th Century.” NBER Working Paper Series. no. 8556. Cambridge, Massachusetts: National Bureau of Economic Results. Decady, Y., and L. Greenberg. 2014. Ninety years of change in life expectancy, Health at a Glance. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 82-624-X. Greenberg, L. and C. Normandin. 2011. Disparities in life expectancy at birth, Health at a Glance. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 82-624-X. Nagunar, D. 1986. Longevity and Historical Life Tables 1921-1981 (Abridged): Canada and the Provinces. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 89-506-XPB. Public Health Agency of Canada. 2008. The Chief Public Health Officer’s Report on the State of Public Health in Canada. Available at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cphorsphc-respcacsp/2008/fr-rc/pdf/CPHO-Report-e.pdf. Accessed January 5, 2016. Statistics Canada. Table 102-0030 Infant mortality, by sex and birth weight, Canada, provinces and territories (table). CANSIM (database). Last updated September 24, 2013. To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Lawson Greenberg (; 613-799-8690), Health Statistics Division.
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Life expectancy increased dramatically during the twentieth century, primarily because of:
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