Whites Have Longer Life Expectancy Than Blacks, But The Gap Has Narrowed

White people in the United States have a longer life expectancy than blacks. But lately this gap has shortened. The life expectancy difference now displays the lowest margin ever recorded. Unfortunately, one reason for the decrease is a significant rise in the number of whites who are dying from drug use.

According to the latest numbers, white men now, on average, live 5.4 years longer than blacks (it had been 6.5 years in 2003) and white women outlive black women by 3.7 years (it had been five years).

The recent figures show that, for blacks, “unintentional poisonings,” which include prescription drug overdose, went up by 15 to 20 percent since 2003. Among whites, however, the rate climbed by 60 to 75 percent and was particularly pronounced among those age 20 to 54.

“Our results are certainly consistent with the nationwide increase in painkiller abuse and overdose mortality in recent years,” Sam Harper, an author of the study and assistant professor at McGill University in Montreal toldThe New York Times, “[Our results]… suggest that this phenomenon is currently affecting whites to a greater degree than blacks.”