As most of us know, the current US healthcare system is fraught with troubles, and unless you do a serious amount of homework and find a really good doc (like I did in the past two years), top-flight health care is extremely problematic. Many Americans aren't in a very good position to find good health care due to the prohibitive costs and the inability of some employers to provide health care as part of their job package.
As a result, the average life expectancy in the United States, which expanded from 75.4 years in 1990 to 77.1 years in 2000 (1.7 year increase), increased by only 0.96 years (77.1 to 78.06) from 2000 to the present.
In 2000, the United States (at 77.1 years) trailed these countries by these margins:
Andorra -6.4 years
Australia -2.8 years
Austria -0.6 years
Belgium -0.7 years
Canada -2.3 years
Finland -0.3 years
France -1.7 years
Germany -0.3 years
Greece -1.3 years
Iceland -2.3 years
Israel -1.5 years
Italy -1.9 years
Japan -3.6 years
Jordan -0.3 years
Liechtenstein -1.7 years
Malta -0.8 years
Monaco -1.7 years
Netherlands -1.2 years
New Zealand -0.7 years
Norway -1.6 years
San Marino -4 years
Singapore -3 years
Spain -1.7 years
Sweden -2.5 years
Switzerland -2.5 years
UK -0.6 years
Currently, the life expectancy is 78.06 years, and we trail all of the countries listed above, and most by greater margins. Margins in parentheses indicate the difference between the US and the listed country since 2000; a + indicates improvement, a bold number indicates we're trailing)
Andorra 82.67 -4.59 years (+ 1.81 years)
Australia 80.62 -2.56 years (+ 0.24 years)
Austria 79.21 -1.15 years (negative 0.55 years)
Belgium 78.92 -0.86 years (negative 0.16 years)
Canada 80.34 -2.26 years (+0.04 years)
Finland 78.66 -0.60 years (negative 0.30 years)
France 80.59 -2.53 years (negative 0.83 years)
Germany 78.95 -0.89 years (negative 0.59 years)
Greece 79.50 -1.44 years (negative 0.14 years)
Iceland 81.80 -3.74 years (negative 1.44 years)
Israel 79.78 -1.72 years (negative 0.22 years)
Italy 79.94 -1.88 years (+ 0.02 years)
Japan 82.07 -4.01 years (negative 0.41 years)
Jordan 78.55 -0.39 years (negative 0.09 years)
Liechtenstein 79.81 -1.85 years (negative 0.15 years)
Malta 79.15 -1.09 years (negative 0.29 years)
Monaco 79.82 -1.76 years (negative 0.06 years)
Netherlands 79.11 -1.05 years (+ 0.15 years)
New Zealand 78.96 -0.80 years (negative 0.10 years)
Norway 79.78 -1.72 years (negative 0.12 years)
San Marino 81.88 -3.82 years (+ 0.18 years)
Singapore 81.89 -3.83 years (negative 0.83 years)
Spain 79.78 -1.72 years (negative 0.02 years)
Sweden 80.63 -2.55 years (negative 0.05 years)
Switzerland 80.62 -2.54 years (negative 0.04 years)
UK 78.70 years -0.64 years (negative 0.04 years)
20 of 26 countries that outlived us in 2000 outlive us by an even greater margin at the present.
This is a list of countries who we outlived in 2000, but have passed us or tied us in life expectancy:
South Korea (trailed by 2.7 years in 2000, leads us by 1.04 years now, for a -3.84 difference)
Luxembourg (tied with us in 2000, leads us by 0.97 years now, for a -0.97 difference)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (trailed by 5.6 years in 2000, leads us by 0.11 years now, for a -5.71 difference)
As for the 50 states, there is an interesting breakdown between Presidential voting patterns in the last five elections (2000, 2004, 2008) and life expectancy. States that voted blue (Democratic) with a greater frequency often have populations that live longer than states that voted red (Republican).
Top quintile
- Hawaii (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Minnesota (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Connecticut (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Utah (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Massachusetts (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Iowa (Clinton 2X, Gore, Bush II, Obama) (Dem 4, Rep 1)
- New Hampshire (Clinton 2X, Bush II, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 4, Rep 1)
- North Dakota (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Rhode Island (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- California (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
Democratic win percentage: 76%
2nd quintile
- Wisconsin (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Colorado (Clinton, Dole, Bush II 2X, Obama) (Dem 2, Rep 3)
- Vermont (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Idaho (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Washington (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Nebraska (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain 80%) (Rep 4.8, Dem 0.2)
- Oregon (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- South Dakota (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- New York (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Maine (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
Democratic win percentage: 64.4%
3rd quintile
- New Jersey (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Arizona (Bush I, Clinton, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 4, Dem 1)
- Florida (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, Obama) (Dem 3, Rep 2)
- Kansas (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Montana (Clinton, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 4, Dem 1)
- Alaska (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- New Mexico (Clinton 2X, Gore, Bush II, Obama) (Dem 4, Rep 1)
- Delaware (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Virginia (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, Obama) (Rep 4, Dem 1)
- Pennsylvania (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
Democratic win percentage: 50%
4th quintile
- Texas (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Wyoming (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Illinois (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Michigan (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Maryland (Clinton 2X, Gore, Kerry, Obama) (Dem 5, Rep 0)
- Ohio (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, Obama) (Dem 3, Rep 2)
- Indiana (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, Obama) (Rep 4, Dem 1)
- Missouri (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 3, Dem 2)
- North Carolina (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, Obama) (Rep 4, Dem 1)
- Nevada (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, Obama) (Dem 3, Rep 2)
Democratic win percentage: 50%
Bottom quintile
- Georgia (Clinton, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 4, Dem 1)
- Kentucky (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 3, Dem 2)
- Arkansas (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 3, Dem 2)
- Oklahoma (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Tennessee (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 3, Dem 2)
- West Virginia (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 3, Dem 2)
- South Carolina (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Alabama (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
- Louisiana (Clinton 2X, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 3, Dem 2)
- Mississippi (Bush I, Dole, Bush II 2X, McCain) (Rep 5, Dem 0)
Democratic win percentage: 22%
As we go down the life expectancy list, the percentage of states carried by the Democratic presidential candidate in the last 5 presidential elections decreases. In the bottom quintile, no Democrat has pulled off a win in any of those states in the last 3 presidential elections.