International mortality rates and life expectancy: selected countries

The total U.S. mortality rate for men and women, all causes combined, continues to decrease, but remains less favorable than that in many other developed countries. The 1995 age-adjusted rate for men was ranked 9th among 15 selected industrialized countries and that for women 11th. In 1996 the U.S. age-adjusted rate dropped to a record low of 491.6 per 100,000 population. Since 1990 this rate decreased substantially more among U.S. nonwhites than whites. The rates dropped 11 and 6 percent for nonwhite men and women, respectively, and 8 and 2 percent for their white counterparts. Thus, the gender gap continues to narrow as do the racial differentials in U.S. life expectancy and mortality. International mortality data for 1995 indicate that Iceland had the best recorded age-adjusted rate for men (487.4 per 100,000 population)--just ahead of Japan which has had the lowest mortality rate for more than 20 years. Age-adjusted death rates among U.S. nonwhite men and for men in Scotland were ranked the lowest, while among women, the worst mortality rates were evident among the Danish and Scottish women. Although life expectancy values are improving in all 15 countries, U.S. longevity continues to fare poorly in comparison to other developed countries. The U.S. life expectancy for men was ranked 13th for the 1990-1995 period and 11th for women. Longevity was the highest for men in Japan and Iceland, 76.4 and 76.3 years, respectively, and the lowest for men in Finland (72.0 years). For women, longevity was the best in Japan at 82.4 years, and the worst in Denmark (77.8 years). Life expectancies for men during 1995-2000 are projected to improve from 1.6 years in New Zealand to 0.4 years in Japan. For women, life expectancy will remain at 80.8 years in Sweden while increasing 0.8 years in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.