In the United States, men’s lives are an average of 5.8 years shorter than women’s, according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This difference in life expectancy is called the longevity gap, and it’s increased from a two-year gap in 1900 to a gap of nearly six years in 2021.
Life expectancy refers to the average number of years a person can expect to live, based on their birth year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The Social Security Administration has a calculator that forecasts how much longer a person can expect to live based on their birth year and gender.
