American Indian and Alaska Native Life Expectancy Was 67.9 Years in 2022, Compared With 77.5 for the U.S. Population
The Fact
The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics reported that life expectancy at birth for American Indian and Alaska Native people rose from 65.6 years in 2021 to 67.9 years in 2022. For the U.S. population as a whole, it rose from 76.4 to 77.5 years.
What This Means
A Native baby born in 2022 could expect to live about 9.6 fewer years than the average American baby — closer to the U.S. average of the 1950s than of today.
Why It Matters
A gap that size doesn't come from personal choices alone. It tracks with how much is spent on care (BSF-0366) and how hard it is to get referred out (BSF-0367).
Key Terms
Life expectancy at birth: How many years a newborn would live, on average, if death rates stayed the same as they are that year.
Sources
CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. "Life Expectancy Increases, However Suicides Up in 2022." Press release, November 29, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2023/20231129.htm
(Gap calculated by The Broadside.)
Related Facts
- How Much Does the Government Spend on a Native Patient's Care? About a Third of Medicare.
- Is Indian Health Service Referral Care Guaranteed? No — It's Paid Only 'If Funds Are Available.'
- Did the Indian Health Service Sterilize Native Women? GAO Counted 3,406 in Four Areas.
- What's the Largest Tribe in the U.S.? Cherokee — About 1.5 Million People.