A Quarter of US Population Will Be Over 65 By 2060
By 2060, almost a quarter of the people living in the US will be 65 or over, and life expectancy will be 85 years – higher than it ever has been before – according to a new report by the US Census Bureau.
The growth in life expectancy over the next four decades is expected to be slower than it was in the past four decades, however.
Between 1970 and 2015, life expectancy grew by almost 8 years, but it's only expected to rise by about 6 years between 2017 and 2060. That's because in the second half of the 20th century, there were decreases in deaths from infectious diseases and heart disease, increases in vaccinations, and campaigns to get people to exercise more and smoke less.
The Census Bureau says that the prevalence of preventable health risks, such as smoking and obesity, is expected to hurt overall population health and slow increases in life expectancy.
Women in the US are expected to live longer than men by 2060, as they do now, but life expectancy will grow more for men than women. Also, people of all races are expected to live longer, but the biggest increases will be for black men, American Indian men and indigenous Alaskan men.
The US population is expected to grow by almost a quarter in the next four decades too, from about 332 million people today to 404 million people by 2060. By 2028, the percentage of foreign-born people will likely be 14.9%, the highest level since 1850.
