Country page · North America
If you were born in the United States
1 in 37 babies · 2.70% of births · about 3,622,919 a year
Right now, about 2.70% of the world's babies are born in the United States — 1 in 37, or roughly 3,622,919 a year and 9,926 a day. Life expectancy there is 78.9 years.
How the 1 in 37 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: the United States has about 3,622,919 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 2.70% — 1 in 37. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in United States, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 81.4 · men 76.5 | 78.9 years | 42nd highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 6.5 / 1,000 | 0.7% | 46th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 5.5 / 1,000 | 0.6% | 47th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 17 | 62nd lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.63 | 62nd lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 16.3 years | 28th highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 79.4% | 27th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | $90,027 | 8th highest of 170 countries |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | 41.80 | 33rd highest of 157 countries |
| People living in cities | 80.2% | 37th highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 1.5% | 13th lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 94.7% | 23rd highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | 5.8 | 113th lowest of 155 countries |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | 10.9% | 23rd lowest of 168 countries |
| Adults living with HIV | — | — |
| People who smoke | 15.8% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
the United States compared with North America
Life expectancy in the United States is 78.9 years, against a North America average of 80.5. The under-5 death rate is 0.7%, versus 0.6% across the region. Income per person is $90,027, against $78,386 regionally; expected schooling is 16.3 years against 16.3. 80.2% of people live in cities, against 81.5% in the region.
| Indicator | United States | North America | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 78.9 yrs | 80.5 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 0.7% | 0.6% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | $90,027 | $78,386 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 16.3 yrs | 16.3 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 80.2% | 81.5% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 78.9 years on average, with roughly 6.5 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 16.3 years of school, and income per person is around $90,027. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in United States
The game draws United States in about 1 of every 37 births. From there the life runs year by year: 78.9 years of life expectancy on average, a 0.7% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $90,027 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Canada — 1 in 362
- Chance of being born in Ethiopia — 1 in 31
- Chance of being born in Bangladesh — 1 in 38
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
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Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.