John Elflein
Research expert covering health and health care
Women's health - Statistics & Facts
In the United States, a woman born in 2021 could expect to live up to 79.3 years on average. Although this is longer than women in many other countries around the world, it is a decrease from previous years. Women in the United States generally live long and healthy lives, but they still face serious health issues and barriers to healthcare access still exist. For example, in 2021, around 10 percent of women in the United States did not have health insurance and 18 percent of women rated their overall health as just "fair" or "poor" in 2022. The states with the highest share of women reporting fair or poor health are West Virginia, Alabama, and Arkansas, while women in Vermont are the least likely to report their health as fair or poor. As of 2022, almost half of adult women in the United States reported having an ongoing heath condition that required regular monitoring or needed regular medical care or medication.
The leading causes of death among U.S. women
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States accounting for around 20 percent of all deaths among women in 2020. However, death rates due to diseases of the heart among women have decreased significantly since the 1950's and continue to steadily drop. This decrease is likely due to better diagnosis and treatment and increased awareness of some of the leading causes of heart disease such as smoking tobacco, poor diet, and physical inactivity. Cancer is the second leading cause of death among women in the United States, accounting for almost 18 percent of deaths in 2020. The most common type of cancer among women in the U.S. is breast cancer, of which there were an estimated 297,790 new cases in 2023. Although rates of breast cancer have increased, deaths have been steadily decreasing since 1950. Cancer screenings and other prevention measures are important tools to minimize the risk of disease and are especially important for women in early prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer and cervical cancer. In 2021, nearly 76 percent of women reported having a mammogram in the past two years.The increased focus on mental health
Focus on mental health and mental health issues has increased in recent years, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although everyone is susceptible to mental health problems, women are more likely to suffer from mental health issues than men. In 2022, over a quarter of adult women in the United States suffered from some form of mental illness in the past year, compared to 21 percent in the year 2015. More women are, however, seeking treatment for their mental health problems than in previous years, in part due to an increased availability of such services and a decrease in social stigma surrounding mental illness. This decrease in stigma may also help explain why rates of mental illness have increased among women in recent years, as women may feel more open to reporting mental illness than in the past. Nevertheless, the death rate from suicide among U.S. women has also increased slightly in recent years, highlighting the importance of mental health management and treatment.Rates of maternal mortality have increased
One of the most important times in a woman’s life to be healthy is during pregnancy, as the health of the unborn baby depends on the health of the mother. However, obesity and diabetes are increasing problems among pregnant women in the United States, that can impact the health of the mother as well as the unborn baby. Furthermore, despite the known risks of smoking and drinking while pregnant around eight percent of pregnant women aged 15 to 44 used tobacco products in 2020, while almost 11 percent reported drinking alcohol. Shockingly, despite advances in medicine, increased awareness of health, and the fact it is one of the richest countries in the world, rates of maternal mortality in the United States have actually increased in recent years. Reasons for this increase are thought to be linked to increased rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as an undersupply of maternity care providers and a lack of comprehensive postpartum support. Women are also becoming pregnant later in life, and may therefore have more complex health conditions while being pregnant. Rates of maternal mortality are significantly higher among Black women, highlighting the racial and ethnic health disparities that still exist in the United States.
