How do we compare?
How does the US stack up?
The richest country in history, lined up against ten peer democracies, same tier, same yardstick. Pick a measure below and watch where the United States lands.
How long do we live?
Life expectancy at birth, years · higher is better ↑
Americans live shorter lives than people in every other country in this group, despite spending far more on health care.
U.S. line
78.4
🇺🇸
U.S.
81.7
🇨🇦
Canada
81.2
🇬🇧
U.K.
80.5
🇩🇪
Germany
82.9
🇫🇷
France
83.7
🇮🇹
Italy
84.0
🇯🇵
Japan
83.1
🇦🇺
Australia
81.9
🇳🇱
Neth.
83.3
🇸🇪
Sweden
The US ranks 10th of 10MEASURED · World Bank, 2023 ↗
THE BOTTOM LINE
The US leads this group on take-home pay, and trails it on the everyday things that keep families whole: living a long life, surviving childbirth, staying safe from guns, and getting health care at all. Every one of these peers is a rich democracy too. They didn't out-earn the problem. They chose to fix it.