WORLD SIGNALMONITORSearch data/
UNITED STATES & CANADAOfficial sources. Open methods. Trace every number.
CANONICAL DICTIONARY · DEFINITION V1

What does life expectancy at birth mean?

Years a newborn would be expected to live if the age-specific mortality rates in the observation year continued throughout life.

Measurement contract

Metric key
metric.life-expectancy
Unit
years at birth (years)
Reference period
Annual; country-level measurement; observation year preserved from source
Source indicator
SP.DYN.LE00.IN
Alternative terms
life expectancy, lifespan, health, mortality, longevity
Cross-country comparison
Allowed with same-year alignment and the documented caveats

Method

WDI publishes period life expectancy from UN population data and national demographic sources, derived from life tables and age-specific mortality rates.

Interpretation limits

  • This summarizes mortality conditions in a year; it does not predict how long a particular baby will live.
  • It is a period life-table measure, rather than a measure of a completed birth cohort.
  • Some underlying demographic estimates are interpolated and may not capture each annual event precisely.
  • Missing years remain missing; the site does not extrapolate future life expectancy.
Original indicator methodology

Explore the series

CA Canada2024

Life expectancy

82.1years at birth
+0.6% year over year
World BankView series
US United States2024

Life expectancy

78.9years at birth
+0.6% year over year
World BankView series