Life in United States: Every Number That Shapes It (1800–2100)
Updated September 2026 · methodology
A child born in United States in the 2020s can expect to live 77.3 years on an average income of 63,500 international dollars. (UN WPP / World Bank, compiled by MYRIAD)
To exist in the United States today is to inhabit a reality defined by an expanded horizon of time and resource. A child born in United States in the 2020s can expect to live 77.3 years on an average income of 63,500 international dollars. This existence is marked by a structural foundation where extreme poverty has fallen from 5 to 0.5 % and electricity at home has reached 100 %. It is a life where the daily rhythm is shaped by 82.7 % living in cities.
The trajectory from the 1950s reveals a profound transformation of the American experience. Life expectancy at birth rose from 67.37 to 77.3 years, while child mortality under 5 plummeted from 41.22 to 6.3 per 1,000 births. Knowledge and connectivity expanded as years of schooling rose from 8.58 to 13.7 years and internet access climbed from 0 to 91 %. Even the nature of labor shifted, with annual working hours dropping from 2,000 to 1,770 hours/year as the average number of children per woman declined from 3.29 to 1.64 births.
Being born into this era means inheriting a world of unprecedented security and specific tensions. While the homicide rate has shifted from 5.55 to 6.5 per 100,000, the biological and material baseline has ascended, evidenced by average male height moving from 176 to 177 cm. These metrics act as a mirror of the human condition, mapping the birth lottery onto a personal existence. You are the sum of these shifting parameters of opportunity.
See your parallel life in United States to understand how these global trends map onto your own existence.
🇺🇸 Every dimension below links to the full three-century series for United States — and to the same series for every other country, so you can see exactly where the birth lottery placed its people.
The numbers today vs 1950
| Dimension | 1950s | 2020s | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy at Birth | 67.37 | 77.3 years | history → |
| Income per Person (GDP per capita, PPP) | 15,534 | 63,500 intl-$ | history → |
| Child Mortality (under 5) | 41.22 | 6.3 per 1,000 births | history → |
| Years of Schooling | 8.58 | 13.7 years | history → |
| Children per Woman | 3.29 | 1.64 births | history → |
| Living in Cities | 64.33 | 82.7 % | history → |
| Internet Access | 0 | 91 % | history → |
| Electricity at Home | 95 | 100 % | history → |
| Homicide Rate | 5.55 | 6.5 per 100,000 | history → |
| Annual Working Hours | 2,000 | 1,770 hours/year | history → |
| Average Male Height | 176 | 177 cm | history → |
| Extreme Poverty | 5 | 0.5 % | history → |
See your parallel life in United States →
Questions people ask
What is life expectancy in United States?
77.3 years in the 2020s (UN WPP / World Bank data compiled by MYRIAD).
Is United States a good place to be born, statistically?
MYRIAD ranks every country by a composite of longevity, income, child survival, education and safety for each birth decade — enter your details on the homepage to see where United States lands for your cohort.