US life expectancy is five years lower than that of Canadians and of countries with equal income levels.

Test: the gap in life expectancy at birth between the US and Canada, using the most recent comparable data available as of 2025-02-22 (for example World Bank, OECD, CDC/NCHS or Statistics Canada figures for the same year). True: the US figure is 4.5–5.5 years below Canada's, and US life expectancy is also clearly below that of comparable high-income peers. Mostly true: the gap is 4.0–4.5 or 5.5–6.0 years, or the Canada gap fits but the comparison with peers of equal income is weaker than stated. Mostly false: the US is lower, but by only about 2–4 years or by more than about 7 years. False: the gap is under 2 years, or the US is not lower.

Set before the research began.

1. E1 Mortality in the United States, 2023 National Center for Health Statistics (CDC) · December 2024

   “Life expectancy for the U.S. population in 2023 was 78.4 years, an increase of 0.9 year from 2022.”

2. E2 Mortality in the United States, 2023 National Center for Health Statistics (CDC) · December 2024

   “Life expectancy for the U.S. population in 2023 was 78.4 years, an increase of 0.9 year from 2022.”

3. E3 Deaths, 2023 Statistics Canada · 4 December 2024

   “After three years of consecutive decline, life expectancy at birth in Canada increased from 81.3 years in 2022 to 81.7 years in 2023, representing a gain of 0.4 years.”

NCHS reports US life expectancy at birth of 78.4 years for 2023 (E1, E2). Statistics Canada reports Canada's life expectancy at birth of 81.7 years for the same year (E3). That is a gap of about 3.3 years, not five, which falls in the 2–4 year band the criteria define as mostly false. None of the evidence covers the comparison with other high-income countries, but the Canada gap alone settles the verdict.