Nov 27, 2019

Young people in U.S. dying at high rates

Life expectancy for Americans ages 25 to 64 has not kept pace with other wealthy countries, decreasing for the third year in a row, a comprehensive study published Tuesday in JAMA shows.

Why it matters: Death rates among young and middle-age adults stemmed mostly from suicide, drug overdose, obesity and liver disease.

By the numbers: Researchers looked at mortality data from the past 60 years. Death rates of people ages 25 to 34 jumped 29% from 2010 to 2017.

  • Middle-aged women's risk of death from a drug overdose rose by 486% between 1999 and 2017; men saw a 351% increase.
  • Women also experienced a bigger relative increase in risk of suicide and alcohol-related liver disease.

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Photo: Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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