Life Expectancy in North America (2026)
Life Expectancy in North America compares average lifespan across North American countries and territories. The rankings show higher life expectancy in Canada, several Caribbean territories, and parts of Central America, while Haiti records the lowest figure in the region.
See Also:
Life Expectancy in North America Rankings
| # | Country | Life Expectancy (Both Sexes) | Global Rank | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇱Saint Barthelemy |
84.63 | 6 | North America |
| 2 | 🇨🇦Canada |
83.05 | 25 | North America |
| 3 | 🇲🇶Martinique |
83.04 | 26 | North America |
| 4 | 🇧🇲Bermuda |
82.83 | 31 | North America |
| 5 | 🇬🇵Guadeloupe |
82.56 | 35 | North America |
| 6 | 🇵🇷Puerto Rico |
82.27 | 41 | North America |
| 7 | 🇨🇷Costa Rica |
81.38 | 50 | North America |
| 8 | 🇰🇾Cayman Islands |
80.9 | 53 | North America |
| 9 | 🇲🇫Saint Martin |
80.85 | 54 | North America |
| 10 | 🇵🇦Panama |
80.15 | 58 | North America |
| 11 | 🇦🇮Anguilla |
79.86 | 60 | North America |
| 12 | 🇺🇸United States |
79.76 | 62 | North America |
| 13 | 🇨🇺Cuba |
78.62 | 72 | North America |
| 14 | 🇦🇬Antigua and Barbuda |
78.11 | 82 | North America |
| 15 | 🇧🇶Caribbean Netherlands |
77.95 | 84 | North America |
| 16 | 🇻🇬British Virgin Islands |
77.76 | 89 | North America |
| 17 | 🇨🇼Curaçao |
77.34 | 95 | North America |
| 18 | 🇵🇲Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
77.28 | 98 | North America |
| 19 | 🇸🇽Sint Maarten |
76.86 | 103 | North America |
| 20 | 🇦🇼Aruba |
76.78 | 104 | North America |
| 21 | 🇲🇸Montserrat |
76.66 | 105 | North America |
| 22 | 🇧🇧Barbados |
76.64 | 106 | North America |
| 23 | 🇻🇮U.S. Virgin Islands |
76.15 | 114 | North America |
| 24 | 🇬🇩Grenada |
75.67 | 119 | North America |
| 25 | 🇲🇽Mexico |
75.63 | 120 | North America |
| 26 | 🇳🇮Nicaragua |
75.43 | 123 | North America |
| 27 | 🇧🇸Bahamas |
75.01 | 127 | North America |
| 28 | 🇩🇴Dominican Republic |
74.12 | 133 | North America |
| 29 | 🇧🇿Belize |
74.08 | 134 | North America |
| 30 | 🇹🇹Trinidad and Tobago |
73.89 | 137 | North America |
| 31 | 🇭🇳Honduras |
73.39 | 142 | North America |
| 32 | 🇱🇨Saint Lucia |
73.15 | 145 | North America |
| 33 | 🇬🇹Guatemala |
73.04 | 146 | North America |
| 34 | 🇸🇻El Salvador |
72.74 | 149 | North America |
| 35 | 🇰🇳Saint Kitts and Nevis |
72.58 | 152 | North America |
| 36 | 🇯🇲Jamaica |
71.86 | 160 | North America |
| 37 | 🇻🇨Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
71.65 | 161 | North America |
| 38 | 🇩🇲Dominica |
71.62 | 162 | North America |
| 39 | 🇬🇱Greenland |
70.44 | 170 | North America |
| 40 | 🇭🇹Haiti |
65.45 | 207 | North America |
Key Findings
Countries with Highest Life Expectancy in North America
- Canada (83.05) ranks first among North American countries, followed by Costa Rica (81.38), Panama (80.15), United States (79.76), and Cuba (78.62).
- Higher-ranked countries generally benefit from stronger healthcare access, better living standards, lower infant mortality, and more developed public health systems.
Territories Rank Highly in the Region
- Several territories, including Saint Barthelemy (84.63), Martinique (83.04), Bermuda (82.83), Guadeloupe (82.56), and Puerto Rico (82.27), rank near the top of the regional list.
- These places often have smaller populations, stronger healthcare access, and living standards closer to high-income economies.
The United States Ranks Below Canada
- The United States ranks 12th in the region overall and 62nd globally, with a life expectancy of 79.76 years.
- Although the U.S. has very high healthcare spending, life expectancy is affected by chronic disease, inequality in healthcare access, obesity, and drug-related mortality.
Lowest Life Expectancy in North America
- Haiti (65.45) has the lowest life expectancy in North America in this dataset, followed by Greenland (70.44), Dominica (71.62), and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (71.65).
- Lower life expectancy is often linked to poverty, weaker healthcare infrastructure, natural disaster exposure, infectious disease, and limited access to essential services.
Large Regional Differences Remain
- Life expectancy ranges from 84.63 years in Saint Barthelemy to 65.45 years in Haiti.
- This gap of more than 19 years shows major differences in health systems, income, infrastructure, and living conditions across North America and the Caribbean.
About Life Expectancy in North America
Life Expectancy in North America measures how long people are expected to live across countries and territories in the region based on current mortality patterns. The data reflects differences in healthcare access, income levels, public health systems, nutrition, safety, sanitation, and disease burden.
North America includes highly developed countries, Caribbean island states, and Central American countries, which creates a wide range of life expectancy outcomes. Countries with stronger healthcare systems and higher living standards generally rank higher, while lower-ranked countries often face greater challenges related to poverty, healthcare access, and public health infrastructure.
Definitions & Methodology
What is life expectancy in North America?
Life expectancy in North America shows the average number of years people are expected to live in North American countries and territories based on current mortality patterns.
How are the North America rankings calculated?
Countries and territories are ranked by Life Expectancy (Both Sexes), which represents the average expected lifespan at birth for the total population.
What does global rank mean?
Global rank shows where each North American country or territory stands in the worldwide life expectancy ranking. For example, Canada ranks 25th globally in this dataset.
What units are used?
All values are shown in years. A life expectancy value of 83.05 means the average expected lifespan is about 83.05 years.
Life Expectancy in North America FAQs
Which country has the highest life expectancy in North America?
Canada has the highest life expectancy among North American countries in 2026 at 83.05 years, followed by Costa Rica, Panama, the United States, and Cuba.
Which territory ranks highest in North America?
Saint Barthelemy ranks highest overall in the North America dataset with a life expectancy of 84.63 years, followed by Canada and Martinique.
Which country has the lowest life expectancy in North America?
Haiti has the lowest life expectancy in North America in this dataset at 65.45 years.
Why does life expectancy vary across North America?
Life expectancy varies across the region because healthcare quality, income levels, public health systems, safety, nutrition, and living conditions differ widely between countries and territories.
How is life expectancy in North America measured?
Life expectancy in North America is measured as the average number of years a newborn is expected to live if current age-specific mortality rates remain unchanged.