Fresh out of Barnard College with a degree in political science, Riley is learning the ropes as a writer and reporter for GZERO. When she isn’t writing about global politics, you can find her making GZERO’s crossword puzzles, conducting research on American politics, or persisting in her lifelong quest to learn French. Riley spends her time outside of work grilling, dancing, and wearing many hats (both literally and figuratively).
Life expectancy, a key indicator of a nation’s well-being, has been diverging between the United States and Canada in recent years. The gap in life expectancy now stands at four years between the neighboring countries, highlighting a significant divergence in health outcomes.
In the US, life expectancy has been plateauing – and it even declined by two years from 2019-2021, due to the pandemic, the opioid crisis, and increasing rates of obesity and related health issues. Canada, meanwhile, has fared better, with life expectancy continuing on an upward trajectory because of its universal health care system, lower rates of obesity and drug-related deaths, and more effective pandemic response.
