Whites had smaller gains in life expectancy compared to Hispanics and blacks over a 14-year period, according to new federal data.
Life expectancy overall increased by two years from 2000 to 2014, as the black population experienced the greatest gains, followed by Hispanics, according to new data released Thursday from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Life expectancy increased by 3.6 years for blacks, 2.6 years for Hispanics and 1.4 years for whites, a brief on the data said. Life expectancy in 2014 was 75 years for blacks, 81.8 years for Hispanics and 78 years for whites.
The report also looked into increases in death rates, as those rates due to suicide, unintentional injuries and chronic liver disease increased for whites from 2000 to 2014. For instance, the death rate for suicide increased by 57 percent for whites ages 45 to 54.
Chronic liver disease death rates increased by 30 percent for the same age group.
However, there was a decrease in death rates for car crashes, which contributed an increase in 0.153 years in life expectancy from 2000 to 2014.
