U.S. expectancy in 2011 was 78.7 years, which is slightly below the OECD average of 80.1. For U.S. men, the average life expectancy is 76, while it's 81 for U.S. women. (At five years, this gap in life expectancy between men and women is smaller than the OECD average of six years). The U.S. life expectancy comes in just behind Slovenia, at 80.1 years, and Denmark, at 79.9 years.